{"id":43272,"date":"2026-07-27T14:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csw.agency\/?p=43272"},"modified":"2026-07-27T14:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:04:12","slug":"eu-ai-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/csw.agency\/en\/i-have-an-act\/","title":{"rendered":"The EU AI Act and What to Expect Starting August 2, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The EU AI Act<\/strong> has been in effect since August 2024 and is being implemented in phases. The next phase is a major one: Starting August 2, 2026, the Transparency obligations<\/strong> from Article 50<\/strong> for providers and operators of AI systems\u2014including companies that merely use tools such as ChatGPT or Claude. At the same time, the EU has introduced the Digital Omnibus<\/em> In June 2026, several other deadlines were pushed back. The deadline for labeling remains unaffected, which is exactly why it\u2019s worth taking a closer look at the details now.<\/p>\n

What Article 50 requires starting August 2, 2026<\/h2>\n

Article 50 governs situations where people encounter AI without necessarily noticing it. Anyone who Chatbot<\/a> Any company that uses AI in customer service or on its website must, going forward, inform users that they are communicating with a machine. This information must be provided no later than the first interaction, in a clearly visible manner and in understandable language. The only exception applies if the use of AI is obvious to an average informed user.<\/p>\n

The second major construction site is the Labeling Requirement<\/strong> for synthetic content. Providers of systems that generate audio, images, videos, or text must label the results as AI-generated in a machine-readable format, for example by Watermarking<\/em> such as Google's SynthID or via embedded C2PA metadata, as used by OpenAI in generated images. Operators of Deepfakes<\/em> must additionally disclose visibly that the content was artificially generated or manipulated. You can find the complete text of the regulation, including all exceptions, at EUR-Lex<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Who is affected by the obligations and what penalties apply for violations<\/h2>\n

The AI Act distinguishes between two roles: providers develop and distribute AI systems, while operators use them in a professional capacity. The transparency requirements apply to both, which is why small and medium-sized businesses must also address this issue, as the IHK<\/a> emphasized. Who Generative AI<\/a> whether used for product images, short video clips, or entire campaigns, is legally considered an operator and bears its own responsibilities. For AI texts that inform the public about matters of public interest, the regulation requires disclosure unless a human demonstrably bears editorial responsibility.<\/p>\n

Brussels is hitting hard with sanctions: violations of Article 50 can be punished with up to 15 million euros or 3 percent of the worldwide annual turnover, whichever amount is higher. That's a significant figure. For your daily work with AI in marketing<\/a> This means documenting processes, defining responsibilities, and considering labeling from the outset. Those who set this up cleanly turn a duty into a signal of trust towards customers and business partners.<\/p>\n

The Digital Omnibus postpones other deadlines<\/h2>\n

The EU\u2019s Omnibus Package, which was adopted in June 2026 and realigns the timing of several components of the AI Act, has recently caused further confusion. The European Parliament approved it on June 16, the Council followed suit on June 29, and the details of the legal framework will be published by the European Commission<\/a>. In particular, the obligations for High-Risk Systems<\/strong>, as Article 50 is set to enter into force. The reasons for the postponement are the lack of technical standards and concerns about the competitiveness of European companies, which result in the following timeline for you:<\/p>\n