EU mandates labels for AI-generated images starting Sunday

Starting Sunday, the European Union mandates that companies must label images created by artificial intelligence. This new regulation applies to various commercial uses, requiring businesses to disclose when AI has generated content, such as a restaurant indicating if a social media photo of its menu was AI-created.

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The intention is that people can no longer be misled by, for example, deepfakes.

EU Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen stated the goal is to enhance transparency and public confidence in AI, specifically to prevent people from being misled by deepfakes. AI platforms must also mark AI-generated materials with a machine-readable tag. However, images created by ordinary citizens for non-commercial purposes and shared on social media will not need labeling. Similarly, chatbots, AI-generated advertisements, music, audio, and videos must clearly indicate their AI origin. Texts informing a broad audience that have not been human-verified also require an AI label.

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In practice, the intention is that people can no longer be misled by, for example, deepfakes.

Virkkunen emphasized that individuals can continue creating and sharing non-commercial AI images for fun on social media without labeling. She noted that some social media platforms might still require labels to prevent disinformation. These labeling requirements are part of the EU's AI Act enforcement, with oversight at both EU and national levels. In Finland, agencies like Traficom, Customs, and Tukes will monitor AI transparency. Non-compliance can lead to fines.

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When it comes to people creating funny AI images for non-commercial purposes and sharing them on social media, they are not covered by the labeling requirement.