The European retail association Eurocommerce has appealed to EU Commissioner for Technology Henneke Brakman, requesting that strict AI Act requirements not be applied to standard marketing visualizations created using AI.
What Happened
Eurocommerce, representing giants such as Amazon, H&M, Inditex, and Ikea, is insisting on a distinction between deceptive deepfakes and standard commercial visualization, such as generating interiors to showcase furniture. The AI Act is scheduled to come into force on August 2, 2026.
Context
AI transparency regulation in the EU could significantly increase companies' operational costs. While players like Zalando have already achieved 90% cost savings in content production through AI, new rules could create financial and technical barriers to scaling such processes.
Why It Matters for the Industry
For the industry, this creates a risk of high compliance costs and the need to implement automatic labeling systems (watermarking/metadata) for every asset. A lack of clear criteria could slow down the adoption of AI tools in marketing workflows and complicate project budgeting.
Why It Matters for Users
For consumers, the outcome of these rules will determine whether they see mandatory "AI-generated" labels on every advertising banner, or if such markings will only appear in the case of suspicious content that mimics reality.
What Is Not Yet Known / Limitations
Opposing views exist: ranging from optimistic forecasts about lowering barriers for small players to expert concerns regarding the risk of diluting transparency standards.
Sources
Author
Look at AI, Editorial Team