Nearly 200 firms sign EU’s AI labeling code before rules take effect Sunday

Nearly 200 organizations have signed the European Union's Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-generated Content, the European Commission revealed on Friday, just two days before the EU AI Act's labeling requirements become legally enforceable.

Major AI Firms Commit Ahead of Deadline

Meta ↗ 1.02%, Google Alphabet Inc. ↘ 3.58%, OpenAI, Anthropic, and France's Mistral AI are among the signatories to the voluntary code, which provides detailed guidance on how companies can comply with Article 50 of the EU AI Act. The legal obligation to mark and label AI-generated content — including deepfakes, synthetic audio, video, and images — takes effect on Sunday, August 2.mlex+3

Google announced its signing on July 24, describing the move as building on its 2025 signing of the EU's General Purpose AI Code of Practice and its ongoing work on transparency tools including SynthID and the C2PA industry standard.blog

The code requires signatories to embed machine-readable metadata in AI-generated content, use imperceptible watermarking, and visually disclose the presence of AI-generated markings using standardized icons provided by the EU AI Office. Companies that choose not to sign will need to demonstrate compliance through alternative means.digital-strategy.europa+1

Chinese AI Companies Notably Absent

Large Chinese AI developers, including DeepSeek and Alibaba ↘ 4.74%, are notably absent from the signatory list despite having substantial user bases in Europe. The only Chinese signatory is computer maker Lenovo ↘ 0.84%.euractiv

The absence highlights a growing divide in global AI governance participation, as the EU moves to enforce what amounts to the world's most detailed regulatory framework for AI transparency.

A Broader Sign-up Than Previous Codes

The nearly 190 signatories represent a far wider response than the EU's earlier General Purpose AI code of practice, which attracted only 23 companies. Meta, which did not sign that earlier code, joined this one — as did many smaller firms beyond the major AI developers.euractiv

Under Article 50, companies face fines of up to €15 million or 3 percent of global turnover for non-compliance. Systems already on the market before August 2 have until December 2, 2026, to meet the machine-readable marking requirement, following a grace period granted under the AI Omnibus provisional agreement.instagram+1