European Commission releases streamlined second draft of AI-content transparency code
Key Takeaways
- 01The Commission’s second draft of the voluntary Code of Practice is intended to support compliance with Article 50 AI Act transparency duties for AI-generated content.
- 02The revised draft streamlines the proposed commitments, offers signatories greater flexibility, and promotes open standards and an EU labelling icon.
- 03Deployers are a central target of Section 2, which addresses labels for deepfakes and AI-generated public-interest text under Article 50(4).
- 04Feedback on the draft is due by close of business on 30 March, and the Commission expects to finalise the code by early June.
- 05The AI Act’s AI-content transparency rules will apply from 2 August 2026.
The European Commission has published a second draft of its voluntary Code of Practice on marking and labelling AI-generated content. The code is intended to help AI providers and deployers comply with the transparency obligations in Article 50 of the EU AI Act.
The revised draft is designed to be simpler and more flexible for organisations that sign up. The Commission says it reduces compliance burdens and adds technical detail intended to improve legal clarity and practical implementation.
The draft promotes open standards for marking AI-generated content and proposes an EU icon for labelling. These measures are intended to make compliance more consistent and lower implementation costs.
Section 2 applies particularly to deployers—organisations using AI systems—when they publish deepfakes or AI-generated text on matters of public interest. It addresses the labelling duties under Article 50(4) of the AI Act.
Participants and observers can comment on the second draft until close of business on 30 March. The Commission expects to finalise the code by early June. Although the code will be voluntary, the underlying AI Act transparency rules for AI-generated content will apply from 2 August 2026. Providers and deployers that may fall within Article 50 should therefore begin assessing how they will mark and label covered content before those statutory obligations take effect.