EU AI Act Transparency Rules Live: Existing AI Systems Have Until December 2 to Add Watermarking

EU AI Act Article 50 transparency obligations took effect August 2, 2026, requiring machine-readable marks on synthetic output and AI-interaction disclosure. New systems must comply immediately; those launched before August 2 have until December 2. Embedding provenance signals in production generation pipelines is not a configuration toggle — providers with large deployed fleets face a narrow retrofit window. Non-compliance risks fines up to €15 million or 3% of global turnover.