AI: A Quick Update on the New EU Rules

The EU’s new AI Act transparency rules came into force in August 2026. We look at what they mean, what needs to be disclosed, and how the new rules relate to the way we use AI at P-O Life.

A while ago, we wrote an article explaining why we use AI and, just as importantly, how we use it at P-O Life. If you haven’t read it, you can find it here: ⁠Why we use AI – more than meets the AI.

Since then, things have moved on.

The European Union has introduced new rules governing artificial intelligence, including important new requirements concerning transparency. As we use AI in some aspects of our work, we thought it was worth returning to the subject and explaining what these changes mean for us – and for our readers.

So, what’s changed?

The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) is designed to make the use of AI safer and more transparent.

From 2 August 2026, new transparency requirements came into effect for certain AI systems. In straightforward terms, people should be made aware when they are interacting with AI, and certain content generated or altered by AI must be identifiable as such.

This includes particular types of AI-generated images, audio and video, as well as so-called deepfakes. There are also specific requirements concerning certain AI-generated text relating to matters of public interest.

It is worth stressing that this doesn’t mean that every piece of content that has had any involvement from AI automatically needs an “AI-generated” label. The rules depend on how the AI has been used and what has been produced.

And what does this mean for us?

Interestingly, the legislation recognises an important distinction between content produced entirely by AI and content where AI is used as a tool, but where a human remains responsible for the finished work.

The EU’s rules provide an exception for certain AI-generated text concerning matters of public interest where it has been subject to human review or editorial control and where a person or organisation takes editorial responsibility for the content.

That is particularly relevant to the way we work.

As we explained in our original article, we may use AI to help with research, translation, summarising information, improving wording or other tasks. But we don’t simply press a button and publish whatever comes out.

We read it, check it, question it, edit it and add our own knowledge and experience. Ultimately, we are responsible for what appears on our website.

Why tell you all this?

Because transparency matters.It’s important to be able to trust our sources. It’s frustrating not to know what is real and what is fake.

AI is developing incredibly quickly, and the technology is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from human-created content. We think our readers have a right to know when and how we use it, just as we think it is important to make clear that using AI doesn’t mean handing editorial responsibility over to a machine.

The new EU rules don’t fundamentally change our approach. They reinforce something we have already tried to make clear:

AI is a tool. Humans remain responsible for what we do with it.

We’ll continue to use AI where it can genuinely help us, while applying the same human judgement, checking and editorial responsibility that we always have.

And, as the technology – and the rules surrounding it – continue to develop, we’ll keep you informed.

The EU AI Act is being introduced progressively, with different requirements coming into force at different times. The information above relates to the transparency requirements applicable from 2 August 2026.

This article was put together by P-O Life…with final check by AI for spelling mistakes!  🙂