EU Releases Official Icons for Labelling AI-Generated Content Under AI Act Compliance

Summary

The European Union has released a set of freely available icons designed to help creators, publishers, and deployers of generative AI systems label AI-generated content in compliance with the EU AI Act transparency requirements. The icons come in four design variations (black, white, black with 50% transparency, and white with 50% transparency) in both SVG and PNG formats, and have undergone user testing to ensure they effectively communicate that content is artificially generated or manipulated. The initiative supports Article 50 of the AI Act, which mandates disclosure of deep fakes and AI-generated text on matters of public interest that lack human editorial review.

The disclosure requirements target two specific categories: deep fakes that falsely appear authentic (manipulated images, audio, or video of real or fictional persons, objects, or events) and AI-generated or manipulated text on public matters without human review or editorial oversight. However, the rules include important exemptions for artistic, creative, satirical, and fictional works with evident artificiality, as well as content used for lawful criminal investigation. While the use of EU-provided icons is optional, compliance with AI Act labeling obligations remains mandatory for deployers of AI systems.

• Icon usage is optional, but AI Act Article 50 compliance obligations are mandatory for all AI system deployers
• Different label variations exist for fully AI-generated content versus partially modified authentic content