Yes — if it's AI-powered and talks to your visitors. Article 50(1) of the EU AI Act requires that people are informed when they're interacting with an AI system, unless it's obvious from context. An undisclosed AI chat widget is the most common way sites trigger the Article 50(1) chatbot transparency requirement.
Providers must ensure that AI systems intended to interact directly with natural persons are designed and developed so that the people concerned are informed they are interacting with an AI system — unless this is obvious from the point of view of a reasonably well-informed, observant and circumspect person, taking into account the circumstances and the context of use.
The disclosure must be clear and distinguishable, and given at the latest at the time of the first interaction. A mention in your terms of service isn't enough; the visitor needs to see it where they're chatting.
It's the most common Article 50 gap Article50.io finds: the scan detects AI-capable chat widgets from vendors like Intercom, Drift, Zendesk and Crisp, as well as custom chat widgets, and checks whether any disclosure language appears on the page.
A generic disclosure you can adapt. Put it in or directly above the chat window, so it's visible before the first message — more variants are in the chatbot disclaimer template. The full report gives wording matched to what the scan finds on your site.
<div class="chat-ai-banner" role="note">
AI-powered chat · Replies are written by an AI system and may contain mistakes.
</div>A chat widget is only one of the Article 50 triggers. If your site also publishes AI-generated images, video or articles, check the AI-generated content labeling and deepfake disclosure rules too, or work through the full Article 50 compliance checklist. For the complete picture, start with Article 50 of the EU AI Act, explained.
If your site uses an AI system that interacts directly with visitors — like an AI chatbot — you're subject to the EU's chatbot AI disclosure requirement, and Article 50 disclosure obligations likely apply. If you're asking "does my chatbot need an AI disclosure," a scan is the fastest way to check your specific site.
Article 50(1) of the EU AI Act requires providers to ensure people are informed when interacting with an AI system, unless this is obvious from context. For a website chatbot, that means a clear notice telling visitors they're chatting with an AI.
Visitors see an undisclosed AI on your site, whoever built it. Article 50(1) places the design obligation on the provider, but the simplest way to close the gap is to add the disclosure yourself — it's one line of HTML.
Not reliably. Many AI chat widgets use human names, avatars and typing indicators, and the same widget often switches between a bot and a human agent. The exemption only applies when it's obvious to a reasonably well-informed, observant and circumspect person — don't rely on it without a clear reason.
Article 50 has been enforceable since August 2, 2026, with fines of up to €15 million or 3% of global turnover for non-compliance.
Article50.io is an automated Article 50 transparency assessment platform that scans websites for potential EU AI Act transparency obligations and provides remediation guidance, implementation instructions, and compliance-ready disclosure language.
The free scan shows your single most severe finding in about 30 seconds — no signup, public pages only.
Automated technical guidance, not legal advice. Citations refer to Regulation (EU) 2024/1689.