On June 10, 2026, the European Commission published the final Code of Practice on marking and labelling of AI-generated content. The Code is a voluntary instrument drawn up by independent experts in a multi-stakeholder process facilitated by the AI Office. It is meant to give providers and deployers of generative AI systems a practical path to comply with the transparency obligations in Article 50 of the EU AI Act, which become legally enforceable on August 2, 2026.
The Code maps to Article 50(2), (4), and (5). For providers, it covers how to mark machine-generated audio, image, video, and text so synthetic content can be detected. For deployers, it covers labeling duties: deepfakes and AI-generated or AI-manipulated text published on matters of public interest must be clearly labeled, and users must be told when they are interacting with an interactive AI system such as a chatbot.
The Code is separate from, but complementary to, the Commission’s draft Article 50 transparency guidelines released in May 2026. The guidelines are interpretive guidance on what the law requires; this Code of Practice is a concrete, signable set of steps for meeting those requirements. Because adherence is voluntary, signing the Code does not itself create new legal obligations, but it gives companies a recognized compliance route ahead of the August 2 enforcement date. The Commission also scheduled an info session on June 22, 2026 covering the Code and its signature process.