Artificial Intelligence

AI labels in marketing:
what, when and how.

Label what could pass as real. Leave the rest alone.

What the law actually asks for

The AI Act does not ask us to mark everything AI touched. It asks us to be honest where people could be misled. For marketing that comes down to one line: AI images, video and voice that could pass as real get a label. AI-assisted copy that a named person has reviewed and signed off does not.

This page is the marketing-team version of AI disclosure label — the full component reference, with placement, sizing and accessibility rules. Start here for the day-to-day decision; go there for the implementation detail.

The two cases that need a label

EU AI Act, Article 50 — in force since 2 August 2026.

Label required

Deepfakes

AI-generated or manipulated image, audio or video that resembles a real person, object, place or event and would falsely appear authentic. A photoreal AI craftsman in an ad counts. So does an AI voice on a product film.

Label required

Unreviewed public-interest text

AI text published to inform the public on a matter of public interest, where no human reviewed it and nobody took editorial responsibility. At Aceve this should never happen: a named owner reviews everything we publish.

The decision check

1Is it image, audio or video that could pass as real?
Label it.
2Is it text for the public on a matter of public interest, with no human review?
Label it, or better: get it reviewed and signed off.
3Anything else?
No label required.

Unsure? Don't guess. Ask Legal before it goes live.

Why we don't label everything

Labelling content that doesn't need it is not playing it safe. It trains people to ignore the icon, which is the opposite of what the law is for.

The exceptions that matter to us: text that a named person has reviewed and owns, and work that is evidently artistic, creative, satirical or fictional. A creative deepfake still gets disclosed, just in a way that doesn't spoil the work.

What this means for everyday marketing work

ContentLabel?What to do
Photoreal AI-generated person, site or product shot in an ad, post or landing pageRequiredUse AI-generated. The icon says it all, so no caption needed.
Real photo substantively altered with AI: background swap, added or removed people or objectsRequiredUse AI-modified if the result would falsely appear authentic.
Product or campaign video with an AI voiceover, avatar or presenterRequiredUse AI (basic) with a caption on screen.
"Voice generated with AI"
Blog post, newsletter, LinkedIn or web copy drafted with AI, then edited and signed off by a named personNot requiredNo label.
The human review is what matters. Keep a record of who signed off.
Clearly stylised AI illustration or icon that nobody would take for a real photoNot requiredNo label required. It can't pass as real.
Chatbot or AI assistant on our websiteTell themA separate AI Act duty.
Say it in plain text upfront, not with the icon.
"You're chatting with our AI assistant"

Getting this wrong can get us fined. Breaching Article 50 is a fineable offence under the AI Act, and the responsibility sits with us as the publisher, not with the AI tool we used. Using the EU icon supports compliance. It does not prove it.

How to use the label

Official EU icons · unchanged

Official EU icons, unchanged. We use the European Commission's icon set exactly as published, never redrawn. Pick the variant that matches how the content was actually made — each icon has its text built in, so never add a second label next to it.

AIAI

AI

basic

General AI involvement, for example an AI voice or AI-assisted content short of full generation. Always pair it with a caption.

AI-generatedAI-generated

AI-generated

generated

Entirely AI-created, with no human authorship of the underlying work.

AI-modifiedAI-modified

AI-modified

modified

Human-made content, like a real photo, that was substantively altered using AI.

Real-world examples
AI-generated photo of a craftsman in a van, with a white AI GENERATED badge bottom-right

Generated image. White AI-generated badge bottom-right. The caption beside it is optional.

Video player over a Stockholm cityscape, with a white AI badge top-right and the caption Voice generated with AI

AI voiceover. White AI badge top-right, "Voice generated with AI" next to it.

The rules

  • Show it at first exposure. On or next to the content, the first time someone sees or hears it. Not in a footer three scrolls down.
  • 24px minimum, 28px preferred. If it doesn't fit, change the layout, not the label. Move it below the media, or use the icon with the caption as body text.
  • Solid by default. Black for inline use, white for overlays on images and video.
  • 50% tones only when the solid icon hides something people need to see, like a face or a defect in a site photo, and only if it passes 4.5:1 contrast on the actual background. Never use them to make the label less noticeable.
  • Caption the basic AI icon, always. Say what was AI, in plain language: "Voice generated with AI". AI-generated and AI-modified say it themselves, so add a caption only when the context is unclear.
  • Make it travel with the content. Embed it in the file where you can, so the label survives downloads, exports and reposts.
  • Never crop, recolour or redraw it. Keep the official aspect ratio and use the official files.
  • Add alt text on web: "AI", "AI-generated" or "AI-modified".

Download the AI labels

12 icons — 3 variants in 4 tones (black, white, black-50, white-50). Official EU assets, free to use without attribution.

PNG

Documents, presentations, social

SVG

Figma, web and print

Download SVG

Original EU source

European Commission

EU icons for labelling AI-generated content →

Six more checks before anything goes live

Ads · social · web · video

Human in the loop

Quality & accountability
Get a named reviewer to fact-check and sign off every AI-assisted piece before it’s live.
Auto-publish anything straight out of an AI tool.

Real people and places

Image & publicity rights
Use licensed stock, our own shoots, or fictional people and buildings.
Show identifiable people or recognisable landmarks without cleared rights.

Copyright

Copyright & attribution
Check the licence on every image, video, font and graphic. Credit it if required.
Assume "I found it online" means "I can use it".

Bias

Discrimination risk
Review every image, AI-made ones included, for stereotypes before it goes into a campaign.
Publish visuals that stereotype by gender, age, ethnicity, disability or religion.

Music

Sync & performance licence
Confirm the licence covers this exact use: platform, region and duration.
Use a track because it’s on YouTube or "sounds royalty-free".

Competitors

Comparative advertising
Keep comparisons factual, evidenced and fair.
Mock, disparage or make claims about a competitor we can’t prove.

Unsure? Ask Legal before it ships. General guidance, not legal advice — rules vary by country and platform.

Where to go next

← PreviousAI disclosure label
Sprout · Aceve Design System · v3.33.1