AI content laws
The laws that ask for marks on AI-generated images, video and audio: when each applies, who it covers, what it asks, and what one Kennmarq.com call adds.
In short
- In force: the EU AI Act's Article 50 (2 December 2026 for systems already on the market), California's AI Transparency Act (since 30 September 2026), South Korea's AI Basic Act and India's IT Rules 2026.
- Next: Utah from 1 January 2027, Washington from 1 February 2027.
- What they share: provenance data in the file that's hard to remove; the EU and California also ask for a free way to check it.
- Kennmarq.com: both, in one API call; name your markets and each file gets a receipt per law.
The laws
| Law | When | Who | Asks for | Kennmarq.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU AI Act, Article 50(2) | Since 2 August 2026; systems already on the market by 2 December 2026 | Providers of generative AI, wherever they're based, when the output is used in the EU | Machine-readable marks that make the output detectable as AI-generated | Both marks, and a free checker |
| EU Code of Practice on AI-generated content | Final since 10 June 2026; voluntary | Providers who sign it (and deployers, for labels) | At least two marking techniques, a free detector, terms that forbid removing the marks | Both marks and the detector; a terms clause to copy |
| California AI Transparency Act | Every public generative AI system since 30 September 2026 | Anyone whose generative AI system is publicly accessible in California | A latent disclosure with five items, and a way to verify it | All five items, and the checker as a verification tool |
| Washington, HB 1170 | From 1 February 2027 | Generative AI providers with over a million monthly users in Washington | Provenance data in the images, video and audio they make, hard to remove; a C2PA-style standard counts as compliant | C2PA provenance data and a watermark in every mark |
| Utah, HB 276 | From 1 January 2027 | Generative AI providers with over a million users, and large platforms | A latent disclosure with the time, the date and digital signatures; platforms detect and show it | Signed, time-stamped provenance data in every mark |
| South Korea, AI Basic Act | Since 22 January 2026; fines suspended for at least a year | Businesses offering generative AI in South Korea, foreign ones included | Users told in advance; output marked as AI-generated; deep fakes clearly recognisable | Both marks on every file, and the visible label in Korean for deep fakes |
| India, IT Rules 2026 | Since 20 February 2026 | Intermediaries offering tools that make or change synthetic content | A prominent visible label (a spoken notice for audio) and permanent metadata identifying the tool | The visible label on every picture and clip, and signed metadata naming your tool; songs not yet |
One call, every market you name
Send markets=eu,us-ca (or us-wa, us-ut, us for all three states, kr and in) and we refuse a call that lacks what those laws need, before anything is counted, and keep a receipt of what each file carries for each law.
Switzerland
Switzerland has no AI act yet: it signed the Council of Europe's AI Convention in 2025 and is drafting its rules. Swiss companies whose AI output reaches the EU fall under the AI Act today. Kennmarq.com is run from Baar, under Swiss law, with customer data in AWS Zurich.
Visible labels
Some rules ask people to see a label, not only machines: the EU's rule for deep fakes (Art. 50(4)), South Korea's and India's. Send label=true, or deepfake=true, and we draw the EU's "AI" icon into the picture or every frame of a clip, in English, Korean or Chinese, and the manifest records it (labels). China and Vietnam ask for formats we don't add yet.