Italy prepares for EU AI Act transparency rules as enforcement date nears

Italian companies, public institutions and media organisations are preparing for a new layer of regulatory obligations as the European Union’s landmark AI Act enters its first binding phase on August 2, when transparency requirements for artificial intelligence systems take effect across the bloc.

Reporting on the forthcoming rules, The Local Italy explained on Monday that the legislation will require AI-generated content, including text, images, audio and video, to be labelled as synthetic, with deepfakes carrying specific disclosures. Companies deploying chatbots and other AI systems that interact with humans will also need to inform users that they are interacting with a machine.

The transparency rules are the first substantive enforcement stage of the AI Act, which was approved by the European Parliament in 2024 and is being phased in over several years. Italy, as a founding EU member, must transpose the regulation into national law through an implementing decree, which the government has not yet published but which is expected before the August deadline.