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Which AI rules apply to me?
Pick where you work or sell and what you use AI for. You get the AI rules that apply, what they ask you to do and from when, with a link to the official text.
Your checklist
Choose one or more answers to each question. Each rule says what to do, who it is for, and who enforces it.
32 rules match your choices.
In force now 29
- In force since August 2, 2026
Mark AI-generated content so machines can detect it
Providers of AI that generates audio, images, video or text must mark the output in a machine-readable way as AI-made. Systems already on the market before August 2, 2026 have until December 2, 2026. Tools that only assist standard editing are exempt.
- Who
- Providers of generative AI systems in the EU, including general-purpose AI.
- Enforced by
- National authorities, or the EU AI Office for generative AI built on the provider’s own general-purpose AI model or in very large online platforms; fines up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher (whichever is lower for SMEs and small mid-caps).
- Law
- AI Act, Article 50(2)
Official text AI Act implementation timeline (European Commission) - In force since August 2, 2026
Label deepfakes and AI-written news-style text
If you use AI to create or alter a deepfake image, audio or video, disclose that it is AI-made or manipulated; for obvious art, satire or fiction a light disclosure is enough. If you use AI to write or alter text published to inform the public on matters of public interest, disclose it, unless it went through human review or editorial control and someone holds editorial responsibility.
- Who
- Businesses and organisations that use AI to make such content in the EU; purely personal, non-professional use is exempt.
- Enforced by
- National authorities; fines up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher (whichever is lower for SMEs and small mid-caps).
- Law
- AI Act, Article 50(4)
Official text AI Act, Article 50 (EU AI Act Service Desk) - In force since February 2, 2025
Help your staff understand the AI they use
Take steps to support the AI literacy of staff and others who operate or use AI for you, suited to their knowledge and to how the AI is used. Since July 27, 2026 you no longer have to guarantee a particular skill level.
- Who
- Providers and deployers of AI systems in the EU, which includes any business using AI at work.
- Enforced by
- National authorities; the AI Act sets no EU-wide fine for this duty, so penalties come from national law.
- Law
- AI Act, Article 4, as replaced by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744
Official text AI Omnibus enters into force (European Commission) - In force since February 17, 2024
Explain how your platform’s recommendations work
If your online platform recommends content, explain in your terms, in plain language, the main factors your recommender systems use and how users can change them. Very large platforms and search engines must also offer at least one feed option not based on profiling.
- Who
- Online platforms serving people in the EU, except micro and small companies; the extra option applies to services with more than 45 million monthly users in the EU.
- Enforced by
- National Digital Services Coordinators, or the European Commission for very large platforms; fines up to 6% of worldwide turnover.
- Law
- Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065), Articles 27 and 38
Official text Digital Services Act (European Commission) - In force since June 18, 2021
Tell the works council early about planned AI
If your workplace has a works council (Betriebsrat), inform it in good time, with the documents it needs, when you plan work processes that use AI. Discuss the effects on staff early enough that its suggestions can still change the plan.
- Who
- Private employers in Germany that have a works council.
- Enforced by
- Labour courts; fines up to €10,000 for information that is missing, wrong, incomplete or late (section 121). Obstructing the works council is a crime (section 119).
- Law
- Works Constitution Act (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz), section 90(1) no. 3 and (2), as amended in 2021
Official text Works Constitution Act, section 90 (Gesetze im Internet) - In force since June 18, 2021
Let the works council bring in an AI expert
When your works council has to assess the introduction or use of AI, the law treats calling in an outside expert as necessary, so you cannot refuse on the ground that one is not needed. You still agree on the details, and you can agree on a standing AI expert.
- Who
- Private employers in Germany that have a works council.
- Enforced by
- Labour courts. Obstructing the works council is a crime (section 119).
- Law
- Works Constitution Act, section 80(3), as amended in 2021
Official text Works Constitution Act, section 80 (Gesetze im Internet) - In force since November 7, 2020
Label automated bot posts on social networks
If you run a social media account that looks like a person but posts automatically through software, clearly mark each automated post as sent by a program. Social networks must also take care that such posts are labelled.
- Who
- Anyone offering content on social networks in Germany, such as businesses, publishers and campaigns, and the networks themselves.
- Enforced by
- State media authorities (Landesmedienanstalten); fines up to €500,000 for unlabelled bot posts.
- Law
- Interstate Media Treaty (Medienstaatsvertrag), sections 18(3) and 93(4)
Official text Interstate Media Treaty (REVOSax, Saxony’s official law portal) - In force since June 11, 2023
Label AI faces or bodies in paid posts “Images virtuelles”
If you are paid to promote something online and your post includes an AI-made image of a face or body, add the words “Images virtuelles”, clear and easy to read on every format. Retouched faces or bodies need “Images retouchées” instead.
- Who
- Commercial influencers: people or companies paid to promote goods, services or causes online to a French audience, including those based abroad.
- Enforced by
- Criminal courts; up to one year in prison and a €4,500 fine.
- Law
- Law no. 2023-451 of June 9, 2023 on commercial influence, article 5, as amended in 2024
Official text Law no. 2023-451 (Légifrance) - In force since May 23, 2024
Get consent or clearly label AI fakes of real people
Do not publish or share AI-made images, video or audio that reproduce a real person’s image or words without their consent, unless it is obvious, or clearly stated, that the content was made by AI.
- Who
- Anyone in France, including businesses, publishers and influencers.
- Enforced by
- Criminal courts; up to one year in prison and €15,000, or two years and €45,000 if shared online.
- Law
- Criminal Code (Code pénal), article 226-8, as amended by Law no. 2024-449 of May 21, 2024 (SREN)
Official text Criminal Code, articles 226-8 and 226-8-1 (Légifrance) - In force since May 23, 2024
Never share sexual deepfakes of a person without consent
Sharing AI-made sexual images, video or audio that reproduce a real person’s image or voice without their consent is a crime, even if it is labelled as fake.
- Who
- Anyone in France.
- Enforced by
- Criminal courts; up to two years in prison and €60,000, or three years and €75,000 if shared online.
- Law
- Criminal Code, article 226-8-1, added by Law no. 2024-449 of May 21, 2024 (SREN)
Official text Criminal Code, articles 226-8 and 226-8-1 (Légifrance) - In force since January 1, 2018
Consult the works council before rolling out AI at work
Inform and consult your works council (CSE) before introducing new technologies such as AI tools, and on changes that affect staff numbers, organisation or working conditions.
- Who
- Employers in France with at least 50 employees and a works council (comité social et économique).
- Enforced by
- Obstructing the works council is a crime, with a fine of up to €7,500 (article L2317-1).
- Law
- Labour Code (Code du travail), article L2312-8
Official text Labour Code, article L2312-8 (Code du travail numérique) - In force since November 16, 2013
Never make or share fake recordings to smear someone
It is a crime in Hungary to make, or make available to others, a false or altered audio or image recording of someone in order to damage their honour. This covers AI deepfakes and cloned voices.
- Who
- Anyone in Hungary; a case starts only if the victim asks for it.
- Enforced by
- Police, prosecutors and criminal courts; up to one year in prison for making such a recording, two years for making it available, or three years if it reaches a large audience or causes significant harm.
- Law
- Criminal Code (2012. évi C. törvény), sections 226/A and 226/B
Official text Criminal Code (Nemzeti Jogszabálytár) - In force since May 19, 2026
Remove reported intimate deepfakes within 48 hours
Give people a clear, plain-language way to report intimate images of themselves posted without consent, including AI-made fakes. Remove a valid reported image within 48 hours, and make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies.
- Who
- Public websites, apps and online services that mainly host content from users, with no size threshold. Broadband providers and email are excluded.
- Enforced by
- Federal Trade Commission; civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation. Removals made in good faith are protected.
- Law
- TAKE IT DOWN Act (Public Law 119-12), section 3
Official text TAKE IT DOWN Act, Public Law 119-12 (GovInfo) - In force since May 19, 2025
Never post AI-made intimate images of real people
It is a federal crime to knowingly publish online an intimate image of an identifiable real person without their consent, including realistic fakes made with AI.
- Who
- Anyone, people and businesses alike.
- Enforced by
- Department of Justice; fines and up to two years in prison, or three years if the person shown is a minor.
- Law
- TAKE IT DOWN Act (Public Law 119-12), section 2, 47 U.S.C. 223(h)
Official text TAKE IT DOWN Act, Public Law 119-12 (GovInfo) - In force since October 21, 2024
Do not post or buy fake reviews, including AI-written ones
Do not write, create, sell or buy reviews or testimonials that falsely suggest the reviewer exists, used the product or had the experience described. The FTC says this covers AI-generated fake reviews.
- Who
- Businesses selling to US consumers.
- Enforced by
- Federal Trade Commission; civil penalties of up to $53,088 per knowing violation.
- Law
- FTC Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, 16 CFR part 465
Official text 16 CFR part 465 (eCFR) - In force since February 8, 2024
Get consent before calling people with an AI voice
Calls that use AI-generated or cloned voices count as artificial-voice calls under the federal robocall law, so they need the called person’s prior express consent, unless it is an emergency or an exemption applies. The message must also identify the caller.
- Who
- Anyone placing calls to people in the US.
- Enforced by
- Federal Communications Commission, state attorneys general and private lawsuits; $500 per call, or up to $1,500 if willful.
- Law
- FCC Declaratory Ruling FCC 24-17, applying the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. 227(b)
Official text FCC Declaratory Ruling 24-17 (Federal Communications Commission) - In force since August 2, 2026
Embed hidden AI labels and offer a free checking tool
If you make a generative AI system that people in California can use, add hidden provenance data to the images, video and audio it creates or alters, where technically feasible. Also offer a free disclosure verification tool, your own or a compliant third-party one. Since September 30, 2026 this applies however many users you have; AI built mainly as assistive technology is exempt until 2029.
- Who
- Makers of generative AI systems publicly available in California.
- Enforced by
- Attorney General, city attorneys or county counsel; $5,000 per violation, with each day a separate violation. Falsely claiming the assistive-technology exemption costs $50,000 per violation.
- Law
- California AI Transparency Act, Business and Professions Code sections 22757 to 22757.6 (SB 942, Chapter 291, Statutes of 2024; amended by AB 853, Chapter 674, Statutes of 2025, and SB 1000, Chapter 861, Statutes of 2026)
Official text SB 1000 (California Legislature) - In force since January 1, 2025
Spell out digital replica uses in performer contracts
A contract term can let a digital replica of a person’s voice or likeness replace work they would have done in person. Such a term is unenforceable if it lacks a reasonably specific description of the uses and the person had no lawyer or union negotiating for them.
- Who
- Anyone contracting with a person in California for personal or professional services, such as actors, voice artists and creators. It covers new performances fixed from January 1, 2025.
- Enforced by
- No regulator or fine; such a term cannot be enforced.
- Law
- AB 2602 (Chapter 259, Statutes of 2024), Labor Code section 927
Official text AB 2602 (California Legislature) - In force since January 1, 2026
Do not make or help spread sexual deepfakes
Do not create or share sexually explicit deepfakes of a real person when you know, or should know, that they did not consent or were a minor, and do not knowingly help others do it. A service mainly for making sexual deepfakes is presumed to know there was no consent. Companies that keep such a service running are presumed liable if they do not stop within 30 days of notice.
- Who
- Anyone, including people and businesses that run or serve deepfake services.
- Enforced by
- The person shown can sue for profits, actual damages or $1,500 to $50,000 per work, up to $250,000 with malice, plus punitive damages and fees. Public prosecutors can seek $25,000 per violation, or $50,000 with malice.
- Law
- AB 621 (Chapter 673, Statutes of 2025), Civil Code section 1708.86
Official text AB 621 (California Legislature) - In force since January 1, 2025
Let users report sexual deepfakes and act within 30 days
Let California account holders report sexually explicit images or videos of themselves that were made or altered digitally without their consent. Confirm each report within 48 hours, update within 7 days, block the material while you check, and decide within 30 days, or 60 days if the delay is beyond your control. Remove it at once if the report holds up.
- Who
- Social media platforms with users in California; end-to-end encrypted messaging services and charities are excluded.
- Enforced by
- The law names no penalty or enforcer.
- Law
- SB 981 (Chapter 292, Statutes of 2024), Business and Professions Code sections 22670 and 22671
Official text SB 981 (California Legislature) - In force since January 1, 2025
Say when a robocall uses an artificial voice
Before an automatic dialing device plays a prerecorded message, a live, natural voice must state the nature of the call and the caller’s name, address and phone number. It must ask whether the person consents to hear the message, and say if the message uses an artificial voice, such as an AI-generated one.
- Who
- Anyone placing calls with automatic dialing-announcing devices to people in California.
- Enforced by
- California Public Utilities Commission; fines of up to $500 per violation, or disconnection of the line.
- Law
- AB 2905 (Chapter 316, Statutes of 2024), Public Utilities Code section 2874
Official text AB 2905 (California Legislature) - In force since January 1, 2025
Get estate consent for AI replicas of dead celebrities
Do not use a digital replica of a deceased personality’s voice or likeness in a film, video or sound recording without consent from whoever holds their rights. News, sports, criticism, satire, parody, documentaries, biographies and fleeting uses are excepted.
- Who
- Studios, labels, advertisers, AI companies and anyone else using such a replica in California.
- Enforced by
- No regulator; the rights holders can sue for $10,000 or their actual damages, whichever is greater.
- Law
- AB 1836 (Chapter 258, Statutes of 2024), Civil Code section 3344.1
Official text AB 1836 (California Legislature) - In force since October 1, 2026
Add provenance data to AI images, audio and video
Where commercially and technically reasonable, embed provenance data in images, audio and video your AI creates or materially alters, and make it hard to remove, for example with the C2PA standard.
- Who
- Makers of generative AI systems for images, audio or video that the public can use for personal purposes and that have more than one million users a month. Business-to-business tools, games, and pure upscaling or compression tools are excluded.
- Enforced by
- Attorney General, as an unfair trade practice; no private lawsuits.
- Law
- Public Act 26-15, section 15
- In force since October 1, 2026
Remove intimate deepfakes in 48 hours, or face state fines
Set up a written process, explained in a plain-language notice on your platform, for victims or the Attorney General to report synthetic intimate images. Remove a valid report within 48 hours and make reasonable efforts to remove copies.
- Who
- Public websites and apps that mainly host content shared by users, as defined in the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act.
- Enforced by
- Attorney General, in court; civil penalties of up to $25,000 a day for each person harmed.
- Law
- Public Act 26-55, section 2
Official text Public Act 26-55 (Connecticut General Assembly) - In force since January 1, 2025
Get consent before using a person’s AI digital replica
Do not create or distribute a digital replica, an AI-made version of a person’s voice, image or likeness that could pass as authentic, without their consent. Illinois’s right-of-publicity law now covers such replicas.
- Who
- Anyone creating or distributing such replicas in Illinois.
- Enforced by
- No regulator; the person can sue under the Right of Publicity Act.
- Law
- Right of Publicity Act (765 ILCS 1075), as amended by HB 4875 of 2024
Official text AI Task Force report, December 2024 (Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology) - In force since August 9, 2024
Describe AI replica uses clearly in performer contracts
A contract clause that allows a digital replica of a person’s voice or likeness is invalid if it does not clearly describe the intended uses and the person had no lawyer or union representing them.
- Who
- Anyone contracting with performers or other individuals in Illinois for their voice or likeness.
- Enforced by
- No regulator or fine; such a clause cannot be enforced.
- Law
- Digital Voice and Likeness Protection Act (HB 4762 of 2024)
Official text AI Task Force report, December 2024 (Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology) - In force since June 9, 2026
Disclose AI-generated performers in your ads
If you make an ad and know it includes a synthetic performer, a realistic human made with AI or other software who is not a real, recognisable person, say so clearly in the ad.
- Who
- Anyone who produces or creates commercial ads. Audio-only ads, ads for films, TV shows and video games, and AI used only to translate a real performer’s speech are excluded; outlets that only publish ads are exempt.
- Enforced by
- $1,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for each later one; the law does not name the enforcer.
- Law
- General Business Law section 396-b, as amended by Chapter 617 of 2025
Official text General Business Law section 396-b (New York State Senate) - In force since December 11, 2025
Get consent before using a dead performer’s AI replica
Before you use a digital replica, a realistic computer-made voice or likeness, of a deceased performer in an audiovisual work, a sound recording or a live musical performance, get consent from whoever holds their publicity rights, usually the heirs. A disclaimer is no longer enough.
- Who
- Anyone using a replica of a performer who lived in New York when they died, on or after May 29, 2021, such as studios, labels, advertisers and AI companies.
- Enforced by
- No regulator; the rights holders can sue for $2,000 or their damages, whichever is greater, plus the profits made from the use.
- Law
- Civil Rights Law section 50-f, as amended by Chapter 616 of 2025
Official text Civil Rights Law section 50-f (New York State Senate) - In force since January 1, 2025
Spell out digital replica terms in performer contracts
A contract clause can let you use a digital replica of a person’s voice or likeness instead of work they would have done in person. Such a clause is void if it does not describe the intended uses reasonably specifically, unless the person had a lawyer or a union contract covering such replicas.
- Who
- Any business contracting with a person for personal or professional services in New York, such as actors, voice artists and creators. It applies to contracts made or changed from January 1, 2025.
- Enforced by
- No regulator or fine; such a clause cannot be enforced.
- Law
- General Obligations Law section 5-302
Official text General Obligations Law section 5-302 (New York State Senate)
Coming up 3
- Starts December 2, 2026
Do not offer or use AI that makes sexual deepfakes
AI systems that create or alter realistic sexual or intimate images, video or audio of an identifiable person without their explicit consent, or child sexual abuse material, are banned. Providers are covered when this is the intended purpose or a foreseeable result their safeguards do not reliably prevent; users are covered when they use AI for this.
- Who
- Anyone who provides or uses such AI systems in the EU.
- Enforced by
- National authorities, or the EU AI Office for AI built on the provider’s own general-purpose AI model or in very large online platforms; fines up to €35 million or 7% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher (for SMEs, whichever is lower).
- Law
- AI Act, Article 5(1)(ba) and (bb) and 5(1a) to (1b), inserted by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI)
Official text AI Act implementation timeline (European Commission) - Starts January 1, 2027
Big platforms must show whether content is AI-made
Detect provenance data in content on your platform, clearly show whether it says the content was made or substantially altered by AI or captured by a camera or recorder, and let users inspect that data. Where technically feasible, do not knowingly strip it.
- Who
- Public-facing social media, file-sharing, mass-messaging and stand-alone search services with more than 2 million unique monthly users over the past 12 months. Broadband and telecom services are excluded.
- Enforced by
- Attorney General, city attorneys or county counsel; $5,000 per violation, with each day a separate violation.
- Law
- Business and Professions Code section 22757.3.1, added by AB 853 (Chapter 674, Statutes of 2025) and amended by AB 2713 (Chapter 856, Statutes of 2026)
Official text AB 2713 (California Legislature) - Starts January 1, 2027
Get consent before using a person’s AI voice or likeness
Do not use a digital replica of a living person’s voice or likeness on products, in ads or to sell things without their prior consent. The law now says plainly that California’s right of publicity covers digital replicas, and using one to impersonate someone counts as false impersonation under criminal law.
- Who
- Anyone using a person’s voice or likeness commercially in California.
- Enforced by
- No regulator; the person can sue for $750 or their actual damages, whichever is greater, plus profits, punitive damages and fees.
- Law
- SB 1111 (Chapter 862, Statutes of 2026), Civil Code section 3344(f) and Penal Code section 540
Official text SB 1111 (California Legislature)
Next deadlines
The next rules to start, everywhere we track.
- European UnionDo not offer or use AI that makes sexual deepfakes
- European UnionPlatforms: keep humans in charge of algorithmic management
- CaliforniaSay in layoff notices when AI caused the cuts
- CaliforniaNo surveillance tools in workplace bathrooms
- CaliforniaDo not use AI to read workers’ emotions or neural data
- CaliforniaBig platforms must show whether content is AI-made
What this checker covers
We aim to list every rule that fits the scope below, and we say openly what is not in it yet.
Covered
- Binding laws and regulations about AI, automated decisions, AI-made content, chatbots and AI developers.
- Rules already in force, and rules that are law with a set start date.
- Duties for businesses, employers, platforms and AI makers in the places listed above.
- For Germany, France and Hungary: national rules that add to EU law, and who enforces the AI Act there.
- A few general laws that are the main rule for an AI use in a country, marked “General law”.
Not covered yet
- Rules for a single sector, such as health care, insurance, banking, elections or law firms.
- Rules that bind only public bodies, such as government agencies, state schools or public broadcasters.
- Bills that have not passed, official guidance and voluntary codes.
- Most general laws that are not about AI but still apply to it, such as data protection, anti-discrimination or consumer law.
- Other US states, and countries not listed above, including the United Kingdom.
- National laws of EU countries other than Germany, France and Hungary.
How we check these rules
We read each rule in the official text, the law itself or the regulator’s own page, and link it. Where an earlier summary disagrees with the signed text, we follow the signed text. We last checked all 96 rules, from 69 official sources, on October 1, 2026.
Two notes on dates. California laws that set no start date of their own take effect on January 1 of the next year, so we list the bills signed in September 2026 from January 1, 2027. The EU dates follow the European Commission’s timeline, which includes the changes made by the 2026 Digital Omnibus; the article pages we link still show the 2024 wording.
One note on sources. Illinois’s legislature website could not be reached when we checked, so the Illinois entries rest on official summaries by the Governor, the Attorney General and state agencies. We will check them against the law texts as soon as the site is reachable.
For every AI law, bill, order and court ruling we have covered, including ones that are not yet in force, see the AI laws tracker and the AI calendar.
This is a plain-language guide, not legal advice. Laws have exceptions and details we leave out, and they change. Check the official text, or ask a lawyer, before you act. If you spot a mistake, tell us through the corrections policy.