# Providers of generative AI must mark synthetic output as artificially generated in a machine-readable way

- **Record type**: Obligation
- **Instrument**: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Artificial Intelligence Act
- **Jurisdiction**: European Union
- **Category**: transparency
- **Binding**: Yes
- **Applies from**: 2026-08-02
- **Provision**: Article 50(2)

## What the duty requires

Providers of AI systems, including general-purpose AI systems, that generate synthetic audio, image, video or text must ensure the output is marked in a machine-readable format and detectable as artificially generated or manipulated. The technical solution must be effective, interoperable, robust and reliable as far as the state of the art allows, taking account of content type and cost. Systems that only perform assistive editing or do not substantially alter the input, and law-authorised criminal-detection uses, are outside the duty.

## What an organisation does about it

Implement watermarking or content credentials on generated output and keep test evidence that the mark survives common transformations.

## Controls that meet this duty

- Accuracy, robustness, fairness and security testing (supports): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/accuracy-robustness-security-testing
- Synthetic content labelling and provenance marking (satisfies): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/synthetic-content-labelling-and-provenance

## Parent instrument

- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Artificial Intelligence Act
  - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-ai-act
  - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-ai-act.md

## Provenance

- **Record page**: https://aipolicytracker.org/obligations/eu-ai-act-art-50-2-synthetic-content-marking
- **Official source**: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj
- **Provision**: Article 50(2)
- **Review status**: pending review
- **Confidence**: high
- **Facts last confirmed**: never confirmed against the official source
- **Retrieved**: 2026-09-24
- **Licence**: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

> This record is a structured summary with a link to the official text. It is not legal advice. Open the official source before relying on any date or duty. How current each record type must be is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/verification; what a record must carry at all is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/coverage.