EU AI Act amendments: transparency disclosure deadline moves to 2 December 2026, enforcement starts 2 August

On 7 May 2026, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached provisional agreement on amendments that simplify and streamline parts of the EU AI Act. The grace period for transparency on AI-generated content was shortened from six months to three. The new transparency deadline becomes 2 December 2026, with Article 50 enforcement starting on 2 August 2026. Non-compliance can attract penalties of up to €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover.

Why this matters

If you publish content online from within the EU, or your readers are EU-based, any AI-assisted images, AI-drafted text, or AI-summarised pieces will need visible-to-reader disclosure and machine-readable provenance markers by 2 August 2026 (full transparency-rule compliance by 2 December 2026). This applies to every autónomo running a website, every freelancer drafting client deliverables with AI assistance, and every solopreneur publishing AI-illustrated content. The practical ask is to state clearly when AI was used and embed metadata that downstream tools can read.

The amendments are part of a broader effort to keep the AI Act enforceable as the technology moves faster than the original 2024 timeline assumed. Some compliance deadlines have been extended; others, like transparency, have been tightened. The Council’s framing emphasises continuity for businesses already preparing, with a tighter window for those that have not begun.

What to watch

The detailed implementing text is still being finalised. Practical guidance on what counts as “AI-assisted” content (a few prompts? a whole draft? a generated image?) will matter when enforcement begins. Independent publishers should start drafting disclosure language and provenance-stamping workflows now rather than waiting for the August 2026 enforcement trigger.