Brussels began enforcing the EU AI Act's transparency rules on 2 August 2026, with fines of up to 15 million euro or 3 percent of turnover now on the table.
Why It Matters
If your company uses an AI chatbot on its website, generates marketing copy or images with AI, or lets customers talk to a bot, you must now say so clearly and let people know they can reach a human. Article 4's staff AI-literacy duty has applied since February 2025 too. SME fines are capped as a share of turnover, not the flat 15 million, but a market surveillance authority can still open a file on a 40-person firm.
What To Do About It
This month, list every AI tool that touches a customer or a public page: chatbot, generated visuals, AI-drafted emails. Add a one-line disclosure to each and write down who owns the list. That register is the first thing a regulator or a nervous client will ask to see.
Sources
Related Signals
From 2 August 2026 the EU can enforce AI Act transparency rules against any business running a chatbot or publishing AI content that doesn't disclose it isn't human.
4 Aug 2026
The EU AI Act's next enforcement wave lands on 2 August: GPAI penalty powers and Article 50 transparency duties go live,
22 Jul 2026
German news reports that US authorities can access corporate data stored on servers in Frankfurt, despite their physical location in Europe.
29 Mar 2026