AI chatbot on your dealership site and the AI Act: what do you have to disclose?
Since 2 August 2026 anyone talking to a chatbot has to know it is AI, unless that is already obvious to an ordinary user. That is set out in Article 50 of the EU AI Act and has not been postponed.
What the law requires
| Situation | What the law requires |
|---|---|
| A chatbot on your website or via WhatsApp | The buyer knows at the latest at first contact that they are talking to AI |
| An AI that answers your phone | The same: the caller hears at the start that they are talking to an AI system |
| Images or video made or edited with AI that look real | State that the image was made or edited with AI |
Who is responsible
The provider of the system has to build it so the disclosure is there. You, as the dealership, choose the name and the tone. Choose a name that doesn't contradict the disclosure, for example “Mathis, the digital assistant of” your business.
What to do now
- Check what a buyer sees or hears first, on every channel.
- Make sure it says there that it is a digital assistant or AI.
- Never let the system deny that it is an AI.
- Make sure a buyer can always ask for a person.
- State on images edited with AI that they have been edited.
What is at stake
Anyone who doesn't meet the transparency obligation risks a fine of up to 15 million euros or 3% of worldwide annual turnover. For SMEs the lower of the two amounts applies.
How Helvaro does it
On the website, Helvaro shows in every conversation that the buyer is talking to an AI assistant. The system never denies being an AI, and if a buyer asks for a person, your team takes over.
This is not legal advice. Have your own situation checked by a lawyer.
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