Last reviewed 9 July 2026
EU AI Act
The EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) is the European Union's regulation governing artificial intelligence. Among its transparency requirements, it expects AI-generated and AI-manipulated content — synthetic images, audio, video, and text — to be clearly marked and disclosed as artificially generated, in a machine-readable form where technically feasible. Full text: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on EUR-Lex .
The transparency requirement (Article 50)
The Act's transparency provisions — set out in Article 50, which becomes legally binding and enforceable on 2 August 2026 — aim to ensure people can tell when they are interacting with, or consuming, AI-generated material. Providers of generative systems are expected to mark their outputs in a machine-readable form so that content can be identified as artificially generated, and deployers are expected to disclose certain synthetic or manipulated content. That emphasis on machine-readable markers is exactly what verifiable provenance delivers.
The European Commission published the final Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content on 10 June 2026, setting out how providers and deployers are expected to meet Article 50's marking and labeling obligations in practice. AI systems already on the market before 2 August 2026 have a transitional period to comply until 2 December 2026.
How Certivu supports it
Certivu attaches machine-readable, cryptographically verifiable provenance to AI-generated content at creation time, signed with post-quantum ML-DSA, and layers resilient watermarking and fingerprinting so the marking can survive recompression and re-uploading. Verification is free and open to anyone. Certivu can also embed ML-DSA-signed C2PA manifests into JPEG/PNG for interoperability.
This page is general information about the EU AI Act, not legal advice. Consult qualified counsel for your specific compliance obligations.
FAQ
What is the EU AI Act?
The EU AI Act is the European Union's regulation governing artificial intelligence. Among its transparency obligations, it requires that AI-generated or AI-manipulated content — including synthetic images, audio, video, and text — be clearly marked and disclosed as artificially generated, in a machine-readable way where feasible.
Do I need to label AI-generated content under the EU AI Act?
Providers and deployers of generative AI systems are expected to mark AI-generated content as such, with machine-readable markers where technically feasible, so that it can be detected as artificially generated. Exact obligations depend on your role and use case; this page is general information, not legal advice.
How does Certivu help with EU AI Act transparency?
Certivu attaches cryptographically verifiable, machine-readable provenance to AI-generated content at the moment it is created, and adds resilient watermarking and fingerprinting so the marking can survive transformation. Anyone can verify it for free. This supports transparency and disclosure goals, though compliance is your responsibility.