Article 50(4) of the EU AI Act covers two things: deep fakes, and AI-generated text published to inform the public. In both cases the deployer must disclose that the content was artificially generated or manipulated.
Article 3(60) of the AI Act defines a deep fake as AI-generated or manipulated image, audio or video content that resembles existing persons, objects, places, entities or events and would falsely appear to a person to be authentic or truthful.
That's broader than face-swapped videos of politicians. A synthetic "photo" of your real office, a cloned voice of your CEO in a product video, or an AI-edited image of a real event can all qualify — if a viewer could mistake it for the real thing.
Article 50(4) puts the obligation on deployers: whoever uses the AI system to generate or manipulate the content in a professional capacity. If your marketing team generates a realistic image with an AI tool and publishes it on your site, the disclosure is yours to make — separate from the tool maker's own Article 50(2) marking obligation.
The disclosure must state that the content has been artificially generated or manipulated, clearly and at the latest when the viewer is first exposed to it. For evidently artistic, creative, satirical or fictional work, a lighter disclosure applies: flag that AI-generated content is present, in a way that doesn't spoil the work. Uses authorised by law to detect, prevent, investigate or prosecute criminal offences are exempt.
The same sub-clause covers text. Deployers of an AI system that generates or manipulates text published with the purpose of informing the public on matters of public interest must disclose that the text was artificially generated or manipulated.
The exemption: text that has undergone human review or editorial control, where a natural or legal person holds editorial responsibility for its publication. A newsroom where an editor signs off on AI-assisted copy is in a different position from a site auto-publishing AI-written news summaries.
<figcaption class="ai-label">
AI-generated image. This picture was created with artificial
intelligence and does not show a real [person / place / event].
</figcaption>See how this fits with the other obligations in Article 50 of the EU AI Act, explained, or run through the full compliance checklist.
Article 3(60) of the AI Act defines a deep fake as AI-generated or manipulated image, audio or video content that resembles existing persons, objects, places, entities or events and would falsely appear to a person to be authentic or truthful.
Under Article 50(4), the deployer — the person or organisation using the AI system to generate or manipulate the content in a professional capacity. If you publish it on your website, that's usually you.
Yes, but a lighter one. Where the content is part of an evidently artistic, creative, satirical, fictional or analogous work, the obligation is limited to disclosing the existence of the generated or manipulated content in an appropriate way that doesn't hamper the display or enjoyment of the work.
No — the deep fake definition covers image, audio and video. AI-generated text is handled by the second half of Article 50(4): it must be disclosed when published to inform the public on matters of public interest, unless it has undergone human review or editorial control and someone holds editorial responsibility for it.
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Automated technical guidance, not legal advice. Citations refer to Regulation (EU) 2024/1689.