The European Commission Publishes Guidelines on Transparency Obligations and a Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content
Implementation of Article 50
From 2 August 2026, the European Commission, together with national competent authorities, can enforce the transparency obligations under Article 50 of the AI Act.
The transparency provisions of Article 50 are intended to support public trust in AI systems by helping individuals understand when they are interacting with AI systems or consuming AI-generated content. These measures also contribute to mitigating the risks associated with misleading or deceptive synthetic content while supporting the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies.
These requirements are intended to ensure that individuals are appropriately informed when they are interacting with AI systems or exposed to certain categories of AI-generated or AI-manipulated content.
Guidelines on Transparency Obligations & Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content
The European Commission has published its Guidelines on Article 50 of the AI Act , concerning transparency obligations. The Commission has also published a Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content.
The Guidelines and the Code represent an important step in supporting the implementation of the transparency provisions contained in Article 50 of the AI Act. The Code is complemented the Guidelines published by the Commission and provide greater legal certainty regarding the scope and interpretation of the transparency obligations applicable to providers and deployers of relevant AI systems.
The Commission has published a list of the first signatories to the Code including a number of leading AI developers and technology companies. It is still possible for providers and deployers to sign up to demonstrate their commitment to adhering to the Code and best AI practice. The AI Office of Ireland wishes to highlight the existence of the Code to organisations and invites signatures.
Further Information
The accompanying Commission materials highlight the broader objective of these measures: strengthening trust, supporting transparency, and helping the public understand when AI systems have been used to generate or manipulate content.
Further information is available from:
A useful shift from broad AI principles toward operational accountability. For procurement, transparency cannot remain a policy statement: it needs to appear in requirements, evaluation criteria, contract schedules, audit rights and ongoing supplier governance. The buying decision is only the beginning of the control environment.