Using AI to Create Images? Europe Has a New Rule You Must Follow

The European Union began enforcing the AI Act’s transparency rules on Sunday. Chatbots operating in the bloc must now tell users they are talking to a machine, and AI-generated deepfakes require clear labels.

The European Commission’s AI Office and national regulators also gained enforcement powers for the first time. Penalties reach €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for the most serious violations.

From 2 August, EU rules require disclosure of the professional use of generative AI if:🔹Content can be mistaken for real people, places, events🔹Text on matters of public interest had no human review🔹User is interacting with a chatbot📷AI Modified-©nejdetduzen/Adobe Stock pic.twitter.com/ERs99hbSKg— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) August 2, 2026 Note: A normal person posting an AI-generated image on a personal social media account would not be fined under this EU rule.

Personal, non-professional use is excluded from the AI Act. The situation changes when the content is used professionally or commercially. For example, by a business, freelancer, or monetised influencer.