Tell users they're talking to AI (and label AI-generated content) - shippingszn launch readiness

New transparency laws require apps to tell people when they're interacting with AI, and to label AI-generated content. If your app has a chatbot or generates media, you now have specific disclosure duties — and for consumer chatbots, extra duties around self-harm and protecting minors.

This became enforceable in 2026, not someday. The EU AI Act's transparency rules (Article 50) apply from August 2, 2026 to any app with an AI feature that EU users can reach: chatbots must disclose they're AI, and generated media must be machine-readable marked. California's companion-chatbot law (SB 243) took effect January 1, 2026 with disclosure, self-harm-response, and minor-protection duties and per-violation penalties. A hidden disclosure in your Terms doesn't count — it has to be visible where the user actually is.

Owner verification required: Whether a disclosure is visible, well-placed, and legally sufficient — and whether your users are in a jurisdiction that requires it — is a product and legal judgment. The scanner can't see your live chat UI or know where your users are.

The Launch Fix Kit keeps scan-specific findings, file and line evidence, AI-builder punch-list tasks, and verification steps tied to the paid report.

Decide if this applies: do you have a chatbot, AI assistant, or content generator that EU or California users can reach? If yes, keep going.
Add a visible 'you're interacting with AI' disclosure at the start of the AI experience and whenever a user asks — in the interface, not only in the Terms.
If you generate images, audio, or video, add machine-readable provenance (C2PA) or a clear visible label so the output is detectable as AI-generated.
If your chatbot is consumer-facing and minors can use it, add a self-harm/crisis response path and age-appropriate content filters.
Keep a short record of what you did — substantiating your compliance is cheap now and expensive later.

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Canonical URL: https://shippingszn.com/i/ai-disclosure/