An AI disclosure statement is a short note telling readers which parts of a published work an AI tool helped make and what the human author did. No general US law requires one. In the EU, Article 50 of the AI Act has required labels for deepfakes and some public-interest AI text since August 2, 2026.
Readers, publishers and platforms increasingly want to know how a work was made. A clear disclosure statement answers that in a sentence or two, before anyone has to ask. This page, part of our guide to AI and copyright, is for people publishing books, articles, artwork, music and video. It is not about coursework, where your school's own rules decide the format.
A good statement is specific, short and honest. It says what the tool did, what you did, and where the human authorship lies. It is not a legal shield, and it is not the same as the disclosure the Copyright Office asks for on a registration application.
01What a good disclosure says
The best statements answer four questions:
- Which tool or kind of tool? Name it, or describe it ("an AI image generator") if you prefer.
- What did it do? Brainstorming, drafting, editing, translation, image generation, voice, upscaling.
- Which parts? The cover, chapter illustrations, the first draft of section 3, the background music.
- What did you do? Wrote, selected, arranged, edited, rewrote, checked facts, approved the final version.
Avoid vague lines such as "AI may have been used" or "created with the help of technology". They tell the reader nothing and can look evasive. Avoid overstating, too: "100% human" is a risky claim if any tool touched the work.
The last question matters for copyright. The US Copyright Office's Part 2 report, published January 29, 2025, concluded that copyright protects human authors' original expression, including their "creative selection, coordination, or arrangement" of AI output, but not purely AI-generated material. Describing your own contribution clearly is a good habit for that reason alone.
02Examples by medium
Adapt these to what actually happened. Never copy an example that does not match your process.
Book (front matter or copyright page)
The text of this book was written by the author. An AI writing assistant was used to suggest chapter titles and to check grammar. The cover image was generated with an AI image tool from the author's prompts and then edited by the author.
Article or blog post
The author used an AI tool to summarize three source documents and to draft an outline. All text was written and fact-checked by the author.
Illustration or photograph
Background generated with an AI image tool; figures drawn by hand; composition, color and final edits by the artist.
Music or podcast
Lyrics and melody by the songwriter. Backing vocals were produced with an AI voice tool and mixed by the producer.
Video
This video contains AI-generated footage in the opening sequence. Script, narration and editing are by the creator.
03Where to put it
Put the statement where a reader will meet it before or while they use the work.
- Books: the copyright page or a short author's note; repeat it in the store listing if the platform asks.
- Articles: at the top or in a clearly marked note at the end, and in the byline area if your publication has a standard slot.
- Images: the caption, alt text or description, plus embedded metadata. Provenance labels can carry this information with the file; see our page on content credentials and C2PA.
- Audio and video: the description, credits and, for synthetic voices or faces, on screen or in the audio itself.
- Platforms: many stores and social networks now have their own AI checkbox or label. Use it as well as your own statement.
Keep a private record that backs up your statement: prompts, drafts and edit history. If anyone later questions the work, our guide to proving human authorship explains how to use that record.
04Rules that require labels
In the United States, no general federal law requires an AI label on a book, article or artwork as of October 2026. Requirements come instead from contracts and publisher and platform policies, plus narrower state laws in some places.
The European Union is different. Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the AI Act, adopted June 13, 2024, includes transparency duties in Article 50. Under Article 113, the Act applies from August 2, 2026, and Article 50 has no separate later date. In plain terms:
- Providers of AI systems that generate synthetic audio, images, video or text must mark the output in a machine-readable format so it can be detected as artificially generated (Article 50(2)).
- Deployers who use AI to create a deepfake image, audio or video must disclose that it was artificially generated or manipulated. For evidently artistic, creative, satirical or fictional work, the duty is limited to disclosing it in a way that does not spoil the work (Article 50(4)).
- Deployers who publish AI-generated text to inform the public on matters of public interest must disclose it, unless a person has reviewed or edited the text and someone holds editorial responsibility for the publication (Article 50(4)).
The text of Article 50 quoted here was checked against the consolidated version as at July 27, 2026, published on EUR-Lex and the European Commission's AI Act Service Desk. If you publish to EU audiences at scale, check the current text and the Commission's guidance. For a fuller explainer, see this overview of the EU AI Act's content rules.
05Disclosure versus registration
A public disclosure statement and a copyright registration disclosure do different jobs.
| Public disclosure statement | Registration disclosure | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Readers, buyers, platforms | US Copyright Office |
| Required by | Policies, contracts, EU law in some cases | Copyright Office guidance |
| Format | Your own words, anywhere visible | "Author Created" and "Material Excluded" fields |
| Purpose | Honesty and trust | Defining what the registration covers |
The Copyright Office's registration guidance of March 16, 2023 says applicants have a duty to disclose AI-generated content in a work and to briefly explain the human author's contribution. AI-generated content that is more than de minimis should be excluded in the "Limitation of the Claim" section. Step-by-step instructions are on our page about disclosing AI in a copyright registration.
Writing one does not replace the other. If a work matters to you commercially, do both, and keep them consistent.
Where the law is still moving
Disclosure norms are still forming. Platforms change their AI labels often, the European Commission continues to publish guidance on Article 50, and US states keep passing narrower labelling laws for elections and deepfakes. A disclosure statement is a good-faith description of your process; it does not decide who owns the work or whether it infringes anyone else's.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act), Article 50 and Article 113
EUR-Lex, Official Journal of the European Union · 13 June 2024 - Copyright Registration Guidance: Works Containing Material Generated by Artificial Intelligence (88 FR 16190)
Federal Register · 16 March 2023 - Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2: Copyrightability
US Copyright Office · 29 January 2025
How we pick and check these: our editorial method.
07Questions people ask
Do I have to disclose AI use when self-publishing a book?
In the US there is no general federal law requiring it, but many self-publishing platforms ask about AI content and expect a truthful answer. If you register the copyright, the Copyright Office's 2023 guidance requires you to disclose AI-generated material in the application.
Does an AI disclosure statement affect my copyright?
Not directly. A public statement does not create or remove copyright. It can, however, show which parts you created, and that matters because the Copyright Office protects human authorship and not purely AI-generated material.
Do I need to disclose if I only used AI for spelling and grammar?
Usually not, though check your publisher's rules. Most policies focus on AI that generates content, not tools that correct spelling. Article 50(2) of the EU AI Act also excludes AI performing an assistive function for standard editing.
What is the penalty for not labeling AI content?
It depends on the rule. Breaking a platform or publisher policy can lead to removal or a cancelled contract. Under the EU AI Act, national authorities enforce Article 50 and penalties are set under the Act, so EU publishers should get local advice.