AI glossary
EU AI Act
The European Union’s law on artificial intelligence, which sets obligations according to risk, from banned practices to transparency rules.
The AI Act sorts AI uses by risk. Some practices are banned outright, “high-risk” systems (in hiring, credit or education, for example) must meet strict requirements, and general-purpose models have their own obligations. Its rules apply in stages.
For everyday users the most visible part is transparency (Article 50): from 2 August 2026 people must be told when they are talking to an AI, and AI-generated content such as deepfakes must be labelled. Systems already on the market before that date have until 2 December 2026 to mark the content they generate (European Commission FAQ).
The high-risk obligations have been postponed: the “Digital Omnibus” package, in force since 27 July 2026, moves them to 2 December 2027 for stand-alone systems and to 2 August 2028 for those built into products (European Commission).
Example: An online shop adds a customer service chatbot. It must make clear that it is an AI, for instance with a notice at the start of the conversation, unless that is obvious.
In practice
- If you use AI with the public, check the Article 50 transparency obligations.
- If you use it to make decisions about people (hiring, granting credit), it may be a high-risk use: get advice.
- The European Commission publishes guidance and FAQs that are updated often.
