From 2 August 2026, the European Commission’s AI Office, together with national authorities, will begin enforcing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act.

On the same date, new transparency rules will start to apply, requiring certain AI systems to tell users when they are interacting with AI and when content has been generated or altered by it.

Under the new rules, chatbots and other interactive AI systems will have to tell users they are dealing with AI, not a human. Deepfakes (images, videos, or audio that have been edited or generated using AI) will have to be labelled. AI-generated or altered content will also have to carry machine-readable marks so it can be detected more easily.

The measures are intended to reduce deception and manipulation and help people make informed choices. They also give businesses clearer obligations and a practical way to show compliance. The Commission published a first list of more than 180 organisations that have signed the Code of Practice on transparency of AI-generated content that operationalises the rules on transparency of AI-generated content.

The AI Office can now enforce the AI Act's rules for providers of general-purpose AI (GPAI) models. These models can perform many different tasks and can be used in a wide range of tools and services, including AI agents.

The rules also cover the most advanced GPAI models that may pose systemic risks. Their providers must meet additional obligations to address risks of large-scale harm, such as risks linked to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, loss of control, cyber offence, harmful manipulation and threats to fundamental rights. They also address risks that have recently drawn public attention, including risks to European cybersecurity and to AI acting outside human control.

All providers of GPAI models must document certain information and provide it to competent authorities or downstream providers. They must also put in place a copyright policy and publish a sufficiently detailed summary of the content used to train their models.

Enforcement also begins for transparency obligations and prohibited AI practices. These ban particularly harmful systems, including systems that manipulate people, exploit vulnerabilities in harmful ways, or unfairly score people in ways that threaten their rights.

Responsibility for enforcing the transparency rules and prohibited practices is shared across three bodies. The AI Office enforces the rules for AI systems offered by the same provider as the underlying general-purpose AI model. It also covers systems integrated into very large online platforms or very large online search engines designated under the Digital Services Act. National competent authorities enforce the rules for other AI systems. The European Data Protection Supervisor enforces the rules for AI systems used by European Union institutions, bodies and agencies.

Effective enforcement will also depend on Member States ensuring that national competent authorities are properly designated and adequately resourced.