Does my chatbot need an AI disclosure?

Usually — if an AI chatbot interacts directly with visitors, Article 50(1) requires telling them it's an AI, unless that's obvious from context.

Does Article 50 apply to AI-generated text?

Under two different rules: machine-readable marking by the AI provider (50(2)), and a visible disclosure by the publisher for public-interest text that hasn't had human editorial review (50(4)).

Do AI avatars require disclosure?

Often under more than one rule — 50(1) if it talks with people, 50(2) marking by the tool that generates it, and 50(4) if it's realistic enough to pass as a real person.

How do I check if my website complies with EU AI Act Article 50?

List your AI features and your role, check the chat greeting by hand in a private window and on a phone, run an automated scan of the live page, test a real conversation, and confirm deepfakes and public-interest AI text are labelled. Then cover what no scan sees. This is not legal advice.

Does Article 50 apply outside the EU?

It can: Article 2 reaches non-EU providers and deployers whose AI system's output is used in the EU, though how that applies to websites merely accessible from the EU isn't settled.

Does the EU AI Act apply to UK businesses?

It can: it reaches UK businesses whose AI systems are placed on the EU market, who have an establishment in the EU, or whose AI output is used in the EU.

Can I use ChatGPT to write Article 50 disclosures?

Yes — Article 50 cares that a disclosure is present, clear and accurate, not who or what drafted it.

What happens if you ignore Article 50?

Fines of up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide annual turnover under Article 99(4), with a lower cap for SMEs and small mid-cap enterprises.

What happens if your AI causes harm?

The AI Liability Directive was withdrawn, so claims run through the revised Product Liability Directive, national tort law, and AI Act non-compliance as evidence.

Reference · Q&A

Article 50 Questions & Answers

Last updated: 8 November 2026

The most common Article 50 questions have short answers: an AI chatbot usually needs an AI disclosure under Article 50(1), AI avatars often fall under several rules, the Act can reach businesses outside the EU, and fines can reach €15 million or 3% of worldwide annual turnover. Article50.io runs a free scan of one public page in a real browser.

Each answer links to a full explainer with the detail, the citations and the edge cases.

Scan for free

What needs a disclosure?

Does my chatbot need an AI disclosure?
Usually — if an AI chatbot interacts directly with visitors, Article 50(1) requires telling them it's an AI, unless that's obvious from context.
Does Article 50 apply to AI-generated text?
Under two different rules: machine-readable marking by the AI provider (50(2)), and a visible disclosure by the publisher for public-interest text that hasn't had human editorial review (50(4)).
Do AI avatars require disclosure?
Often under more than one rule — 50(1) if it talks with people, 50(2) marking by the tool that generates it, and 50(4) if it's realistic enough to pass as a real person.

For AI-generated images and video that could pass as real, the AI image and video disclosure template has captions, badges and alt text you can adapt.

Checking a website

How do I check if my website complies with EU AI Act Article 50?
List your AI features and your role, check the chat greeting by hand in a private window and on a phone, run an automated scan of the live page, test a real conversation, and confirm deepfakes and public-interest AI text are labelled. Then cover what no scan sees. This is not legal advice.

Scope and practicalities

Does Article 50 apply outside the EU?
It can: Article 2 reaches non-EU providers and deployers whose AI system's output is used in the EU, though how that applies to websites merely accessible from the EU isn't settled.
Does the EU AI Act apply to UK businesses?
It can: it reaches UK businesses whose AI systems are placed on the EU market, who have an establishment in the EU, or whose AI output is used in the EU.
Can I use ChatGPT to write Article 50 disclosures?
Yes — Article 50 cares that a disclosure is present, clear and accurate, not who or what drafted it.

Risk and consequences

What happens if you ignore Article 50?
Fines of up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide annual turnover under Article 99(4), with a lower cap for SMEs and small mid-cap enterprises.
What happens if your AI causes harm?
The AI Liability Directive was withdrawn, so claims run through the revised Product Liability Directive, national tort law, and AI Act non-compliance as evidence.

Terms you'll see

Provider, deployer, deep fake, machine-readable marking — the Article 50 glossary defines each one, with citations.

Check your site automatically

Article50.io is an automated scanner for the Article 50 transparency rules of the EU AI Act. It scans a website for potential Article 50 transparency gaps and generates a report of what the scan found and what it could not check, with remediation guidance, implementation instructions and disclosure wording you can paste in.

The free scan shows your single most severe finding. Scans are capped at 45 seconds — no signup, public pages only.