Since 2 August 2026, transparency duties under Article 50 of the European AI Act have applied. They also affect small businesses that have a chatbot on their website or publish AI images and AI texts. According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Halle-Dessau (IHK), a simple, understandable label is enough for most.
Case 1: chatbots and AI replies
Users must be able to tell that they are talking to an AI and not to a person. Legally, the provider of the chatbot is responsible first. As the operator, you should still check whether the notice is visible in your chatbot.
Label, according to the IHK:
- an AI chatbot on the website
- an AI system that answers questions on the phone
- an e-mail reply that an AI writes automatically
- a digital avatar that advises customers
Do not label:
- when it is obvious that it is an AI
- when an adviser uses an AI only as support during a conversation
- when staff write e-mails with AI help
- when the AI triggers processes in the background, for example updating prices
How: the notice should be visible right at the start of the conversation, for example “You are chatting with an AI assistant.” A single notice is usually enough.
Case 2: AI images, audio and video
If AI creates or heavily alters images, audio or video so that they could look real or misleading (deepfakes), you must label this.
Label:
- an AI-generated photo of a company building that looks real
- product images that are not based on real photos, videos or prototypes
- a manipulated company video
- an AI image that suggests that an event really took place
Do not label:
- purely graphic illustrations, caricatures, icons, abstract graphics
- advertising illustrations
- images that were only sharpened, colour-corrected or re-exposed
- when you remove unimportant elements, for example people in the background
How: a small caption or a note in the image description is enough, for example “Image created with AI.” For videos, the note goes into the description or appears briefly at the start or the end.
Case 3: AI texts
Not every text on your website has to be labelled. The duty applies to texts that inform the public about matters of public interest and were created or substantially edited by AI. It does not apply if a person has reviewed the text and takes editorial responsibility.
Label: news, political information, topics of social relevance, texts meant to steer opinion.
Do not label: product descriptions, texts with AI spelling correction, translations by AI, texts that a person has essentially written.
How: the notice belongs directly at the article, for example at the end: “This text was created with the support of AI.” A note only in the legal notice is not enough, because the reader must see it right away.
Which deadlines apply?
The duties under Article 50 have applied since 2 August 2026. For AI content published before 2 August 2026, the IHK Halle-Dessau names 2 December 2026 as the deadline for labelling. Several specialist sources relate the transition period until 2 December 2026 to the providers of AI systems that were already on the market before 2 August 2026, not to the operators. So it is better not to plan with the transition period.
The EU guidelines stress that the duties should be applied proportionately. Not every minor use of AI support has to be disclosed.
Checklist for your website
- Texts: a short note at the end if the text comes from AI and covers public topics.
- Images: a caption “Image created with AI” if the image looks real.
- Videos and audio: a note in the description or at the start.
- Chatbot: a note at first contact that it is an AI.
- Check: go through your website once: is there a chatbot? AI photos of staff, buildings or products?
Where we help
We build notices cleanly into your website: at the chatbot, at images and at texts, without disturbing the design. Whether a label is needed in your case is something to settle with legal advice if you are in doubt.
In a free first call of 30 minutes, we look at where your website needs a notice.
Sources
- IHK Halle-Dessau: KI-Verordnung: Neue Transparenzpflichten seit August 2026 (ihk.de/halle, no. 7172022; German). Contact there: Jens Hoffmann, telephone +49 345 2126-304
- EU AI Act, Article 50: transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems
- Wettbewerbszentrale: guide to labelling AI-generated content (PDF, German)
- Digitalzentrum Berlin: how to label AI-generated texts and images (German)