Guides

The EU AI Act and AI-assisted text

Last updated 22 October 2026

The EU AI Act's transparency rules in Article 50 have applied since 2 August 2026. Two parts matter to anyone who publishes text written with AI help: one for the companies that make AI tools, and one for the people and organisations that publish what those tools produce.

For AI tool providers: machine-readable marks

Article 50(2) asks providers of generative AI systems to mark their output, including text, in a machine-readable way so it can be detected as AI-generated. Generative systems already on the market before 2 August 2026 have until 2 December 2026 to put that marking in place. On 31 July 2026 the AI Office published a voluntary Code of Practice on the transparency of AI-generated content, which offers one way to show compliance.

For publishers: disclosure of AI-generated text on public-interest topics

Article 50(4) asks deployers, meaning those who use the AI system, to disclose when text they publish to inform the public on matters of public interest was generated or manipulated by AI. There is an exception: no disclosure is required when the text has gone through human editorial review and a person takes editorial responsibility for its publication.

What this means for a post you wrote with AI help

The exception turns on two things you can show: that a person reviewed the text, and that a person stands behind it. Saying so is easy. Showing it later is harder, because most AI writing tools keep no record of what you gave them.

An Overwride record keeps exactly that: the draft you wrote and the rewrite Overwride returned, with the date. The footer on your post links to it. That doesn't make a post compliant on its own, and Overwride doesn't decide whether a text is on a matter of public interest. It gives you, and your readers, a record of what you started with.

A practical routine

  1. Write your own draft.
  2. Rewrite it with Overwride, and review the result before you publish.
  3. Publish with the footer if you want readers to see the record.
  4. Keep your own note of who reviewed the post and when.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Sources: Cooley, 3 August 2026; Baker Botts, 10 September 2026.