AI disclosure answers
California SB 942 and EU AI Act Article 50 compared
California SB 942 and EU AI Act Article 50 both take effect on 2 August 2026, and they cover different ground. Article 50 is broad and binds providers and deployers on the EU market across AI interaction, synthetic-media marking, emotion and biometric notices, and deepfakes. SB 942 is narrower and binds large generative-AI providers to embed latent disclosure, offer a visible label, and provide a free detection tool for AI image, video, and audio.
Side by side
| Dimension | EU AI Act Article 50 | California SB 942 |
|---|---|---|
| Effective | 2 August 2026 | 2 August 2026 |
| Who it binds | Providers and deployers on the EU market | Providers of GenAI with more than 1,000,000 monthly California users |
| Content covered | AI interaction, synthetic media, emotion/biometric, deepfakes, public-interest text | AI-generated image, video, and audio |
| Core duty | Interaction notice and machine-readable marking | Latent disclosure, visible label option, free detection tool |
What to do if both apply
If you serve users in both markets, meet the broader duty and add what is specific to each. A single ai-disclosure.json manifest can declare obligations for more than one jurisdiction at once, and the on-site snippet renders the interaction notice and content labels that both regimes expect.
How AIDisclose helps
Publish an ai-disclosure.json manifest that declares the AI systems your site uses, add the on-site snippet to render the required notices and labels in 28 languages, and keep timestamped, exportable evidence that they were shown. Start with a free check of your site.
Common questions
Are California SB 942 and the EU AI Act the same?
No. They share the 2 August 2026 date but differ in scope. Article 50 is broad and covers interaction, marking, and deepfakes; SB 942 targets large generative-AI providers of image, video, and audio.
This page is a general reference and does not provide legal advice. Confirm your obligations with qualified counsel. Last reviewed 7 July 2026.