EU AI Labels Go Live: Consumers Will Be Informed When They Interact With AI

Europe’s AI Act takes effect Aug. 2, requiring providers to disclose when users interact with AI or view AI-generated content across marketing, customer hotlines, scheduling, and editing. A transitional period allows machine-readable labeling for synthetic media; penalties reach up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide turnover. Critics warn of “disclosure fatigue” and uneven enforcement across member states, while officials say the rules aim to curb deception and foster trustworthy AI across Europe.