Art. 50(2) — Mark outputs in a machine-readable format, detectable as artificially generated or manipulated
Applies from: 2 August 2026.
What triggers it
AI systems generating synthetic audio, image, video or text content
What you must do
Mark outputs in a machine-readable format, detectable as artificially generated or manipulated
The exception
Does not apply to the extent the AI system performs an assistive function for standard editing or does not substantially alter the input data provided by the deployer or the semantics thereof
Transitional period
Providers of AI systems, including general-purpose AI systems, generating synthetic audio, image, video or text content placed on the market BEFORE 2026-08-02 shall take the necessary steps to comply with Art. 50(2) by 2026-12-02 (Art. 111(4), inserted by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744). No transition for systems placed on the market from 2026-08-02, and none for Art. 50(1), 50(3) or 50(4).
Law-enforcement carve-out
Marking duty does not apply where authorised by law to detect, prevent, investigate or prosecute criminal offences.
The dates that apply
| Art. 50 applies from | 2 August 2026 |
| Art. 50(2) marking transition (systems already on the market) | 2 December 2026 |
| Annex III high-risk | 2 December 2027 |
| High-risk embedded in regulated products | 2 August 2028 |
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI) of 8 July 2026, OJ 24 July 2026, in force 27 July 2026 (ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2026/1744/oj), moved the high-risk dates to 2027-12-02 (Annex III) and 2028-08-02 (Annex I); it did NOT delay Article 50's application date, which remains 2026-08-02.
How this shows up in a questionnaire
Buyers rarely quote the paragraph number. They ask it as a control: whether users are told they are dealing with an AI system, whether generated output is marked, whether your disclosure fires before the first interaction. An answer that names the paragraph, the role and the date reads as prepared. One that says “we comply with the EU AI Act” reads as boilerplate and invites a follow-up round.
All five Article 50 duties
- Art. 50(1) — Inform the persons concerned that they are interacting with an AI system
- Art. 50(2) — Mark outputs in a machine-readable format, detectable as artificially generated or manipulated
- Art. 50(3) — Inform the natural persons exposed to the operation of the system
- Art. 50(4) — Disclose that the content has been artificially generated or manipulated
- Art. 50(5) — Information must be provided in a clear and distinguishable manner at the latest at the time of the first interaction or exposure, conforming to accessibility requirements