The European Commission has opened a public consultation on draft guidelines for transparency obligations under Article 50 of the EU AI Act.

Published on 8 May 2026, the consultation invites feedback on how transparency requirements should work in practice for AI systems that interact with people or generate synthetic content. Feedback can be submitted until 3 June 2026, and only responses submitted through the official online questionnaire will be considered in the final summary report.

Symbolic balance scale illustrating AI Act transparency guidelines and human rights

Image source: Envato

What Article 50 Means in Practice

The draft guidelines are intended to help providers and deployers of AI systems understand how to comply with Article 50 of the AI Act.

The obligations cover several areas: informing people when they are interacting with an AI system, marking AI-generated or manipulated content, disclosing deepfakes, and informing people about the use of emotion recognition or biometric categorisation systems.

AI Usage Notice: In preparing this article, AI tools were used with careful human oversight and editing. We believe in transparency regarding the use of AI in our work.
AI Usage Notice: In preparing this article, AI tools were used with careful human oversight and editing. We believe in transparency regarding the use of AI in our work.

Why the Consultation Matters

The consultation is relevant for companies, public authorities, researchers, media organisations and other stakeholders that develop or use AI systems.

For organisations using generative AI, the draft guidelines could affect how AI-generated content is labelled, how synthetic media is disclosed and how chatbots or AI assistants are presented to users.

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AI-Generated Content, Deepfakes and Public Interest

The Commission frames these obligations as part of a wider effort to reduce risks of deception and manipulation and support trust in the information ecosystem.

This includes marking and detection of AI-generated content, as well as labelling obligations for deepfakes and certain AI-generated publications.

What Happens Next

The AI Act transparency rules are expected to become applicable on 2 August 2026. The draft guidelines are being developed alongside the Code of Practice on marking and labelling of AI-generated content, which is intended to support practical implementation of the AI Act's transparency obligations.

For organisations working with AI systems, generative AI tools or synthetic media, the consultation is an opportunity to provide feedback before the final guidance is adopted.

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