The EU has developed a set of icons that creators, publishers and other deployers of generative AI systems may use to label their AI-generated content. These icons are freely available and a integral part of Section 2 of the Code of Practice on marking and labelling of AI-generated content.

What content needs to be labelled as AI-generated or manipulated?

The icons are intended to help natural persons exposed to such content to recognise, in a clear and distinguishable manner, that the content has been artificially generated or manipulated. This obligation supports public trust, reduces the risk of misinformation and the informed viewing and reading by natural persons of all sorts of content.

Not all AI-generated or manipulated content needs to be labelled. The disclosure requirement under the AI Act covers only AI-generated or manipulated content. The icons support compliance with Article 50(4) of the AI Act, which requires deployers of AI systems to disclose:

• Deep fakes - 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.
• AI-generated or manipulated text published to inform the public on matters of public interest, which did not undergo human review or editorial control and where editorial responsibility was not assumed by any legal or natural person.

Limitations and exceptions

Evidently artistic, creative, satirical, fictional and analogous works

Where deep fake content forms part of an evidently artistic, creative, satirical, fictional or analogous work or programme, the transparency obligations are limited to disclosure in an appropriate manner that does not hamper the display or enjoyment of the work.

Authorised by law

The disclosure obligation does not apply where the use of deepfakes or published text on matters of public interest is authorised by law to detect, prevent, investigate or prosecute criminal offences.

Human review or editorial control for text

The disclosure obligation does not apply where the AI-generated text has undergone a process of human review or editorial control and where a natural or legal person holds editorial responsibility for the publication of the content.  

The EU icons

The Icons have 4 variations: black, white, black with 50% transparency and white with 50% transparency. You can download zip files with all the icons in all variations in SVG and PNG formats.

The icons have undergone user-testing, and the results have informed their design. Notably, performance improved across all measures when the basic icon was accompanied by a text label (e.g. modified).

*May enjoy limited disclosure requirements for artistic, creative, fictional or satirical works

How to display the EU icons?

Check section 2 of the Code of Practice on marking and labelling of AI-generated content for the detailed placement specifications that signatories commit to implement. For further guidance, contact the AI Act Service Desk.

Below you can find a summary, not a complete overview, of the rules to display the icons:

• The icon should be clearly perceivable and distinguishable at the latest at the time of first exposure of a natural person to the deep fake or published text.
• The icon should be placed where no intervening overlay elements exist.
• The icon should be directly embedded into the deep fake or published text (except for creative works), unless equivalent alternatives are available such as a user interface overlay. The icon must be visible when content is reshared or downloaded.

Users of the icon are encouraged to implement accessibility measures:

• The icon should be in a clearly visible size.
• Any accompanying label should use plain language and avoid jargon, confusing wording and abbreviations other than “AI”.
• If possible, the icon should be readable by assistive technologies using alt text or ARIA labels indicating that the content is AI-generated or manipulated.
• If the disclosure appears for a limited time, it should remain visible long enough to be read and understood by users with cognitive or processing difficulties.
• If additional information is provided through a second interactive layer, the icon should clearly indicate that further information is available and the second layer content shall be navigable using assistive technologies.

Licence

These icons are made publicly available for everyone to use freely, without the need for attribution to the Commission or the AI Office. However, signatories of the code of practice should use the icon in accordance with its placement specifications. Usage of these icons by non-signatories of the code should not be construed as signaling of their adherence to the code.