What the EU AI Act chatbot disclosure rule means for your website
If your website has a chatbot that people in the EU can use, it must tell them they are talking to an AI. The rule is in Article 50 of the EU AI Act and has applied since 2 Aug 2026.
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By Panoptical editorial teamPublished
Applied-AI practitioners at Panoptical who build and run the systems they write about; every article is reviewed by a second team member
2 min read
If your website has a chatbot that people in the EU can use, the chatbot must tell them they are talking to an AI. This rule is in Article 50 of the EU AI Act. It has applied since 2 Aug 2026, and the Digital Omnibus did not delay it.
What to change on your website
- Say it in the first message. For example: "Hi, I’m an AI assistant." Do not wait until the visitor asks.
- Label AI-generated images and video where people see them, not only in the page code.
How we do it on this site
When our AI assistant is switched on, it starts every chat with: "Hi, I’m Panoptical’s AI assistant. I can answer questions about our work and help scope a project. A person reviews every request." AI-generated images on our site carry a visible label.
Other rules that may also apply
A chatbot that collects names or email addresses also handles personal data. GDPR applies to people in the EU and the UK, and India’s DPDP Act applies to people in India. Read our guide to the DPDP Act.
This is general information, not legal advice.
References
Need help with AI disclosure?
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