Editing News-August-02-2026

'''August 2, 2026''' — The European Commission's AI Office and national authorities began enforcing the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act, while Article 50 transparency duties took effect for interactive AI systems, deepfakes, and AI-generated or altered content.<ref name="ec-aug2">[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-starts-enforcing-ai-act-rules-and-new-transparency-requirements-2-august European Commission, “Commission starts enforcing AI Act rules and new transparency requirements on 2 August,” July 31, 2026]</ref><ref name="ec-framework">[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai European Commission, “AI Act,” accessed August 3, 2026]</ref>

== Contents ==
# EU AI Act enforcement phase begins
# Article 50 transparency duties take effect
# AI Office gains enforcement powers over general-purpose AI models

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== EU AI Act enforcement phase begins ==
From August 2, the European Commission's AI Office and authorities designated by EU member states became responsible for implementing and enforcing the AI Act.<ref name="ec-aug2" /><ref name="ec-framework" /> The Act entered into force on August 1, 2024 and became generally applicable on August 2, 2026, subject to phased exceptions and transition periods.<ref name="ec-framework" />

The August 2026 phase followed earlier application dates for prohibited practices and AI-literacy duties in February 2025 and for governance rules and general-purpose-AI obligations in August 2025.<ref name="ec-framework" /> Separate transition periods continue to apply to specified high-risk systems.<ref name="ec-framework" />

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== Article 50 transparency duties take effect ==
The new transparency rules require chatbots and other interactive AI systems to inform users that they are interacting with AI rather than a human.<ref name="ec-aug2" /> Deepfake images, video, and audio must be labelled, and AI-generated or altered content must carry machine-readable marks intended to make synthetic content easier to detect.<ref name="ec-aug2" />

The Commission published guidelines and a voluntary Code of Practice to help providers and deployers operationalize these obligations.<ref name="ec-aug2" />

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== AI Office gains enforcement powers over general-purpose AI models ==
The AI Office's enforcement powers over general-purpose AI models include requesting technical documentation, evaluating models, requiring corrective measures, and issuing fines for noncompliance.<ref name="ec-framework" /> Euronews reported that the model rules require disclosures about model development and copyright-protected training content, together with information enabling downstream users to understand model capabilities.<ref name="euronews-aug2">[https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/02/eu-rules-on-ai-models-become-enforceable-whats-going-to-change Euronews, “EU rules on AI models become enforceable. What's going to change?”, August 2, 2026]</ref>

''See also: [[News EU AI Act Implementation Milestones 2026|EU AI Act Implementation Milestones 2026]] and [[News-July-31-2026#EU expands AI Office ahead of August 2 rules|July 31 coverage of the AI Office expansion]].''

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:International]]
[[Category:European Union]]
[[Category:EU AI Act]]
[[Category:Transparency]]
[[Category:Deepfakes]]
[[Category:Risk-Based Framework]]