Chatbot on Your Website: Is the AI Disclosure Mandatory?

A visitor writes at 10 p.m. on your practice's website: “Do you do free quotes?” An answer arrives within two seconds, polite and precise. They think they are talking to your secretary. It is a virtual assistant you installed a month ago.

Since summer 2026, the question has been asked: does this visitor need to know they are talking to a machine? If you have a chatbot on your website, the mandatory AI disclosure is something to settle, and it is settled with one sentence.

This article gives you the rule as it is written, the sentence to copy, and where to place it. It does not replace a lawyer's advice. Above all, it spares you from wondering whether you are compliant without knowing where to start.

Chatbot on a website: what does the European rule say?

The European regulation on artificial intelligence (EU Regulation 2024/1689) contains an Article 50 on transparency. For chatbots, its first paragraph says in essence this: AI systems designed to interact directly with people must make sure those people know they are talking to an AI. The text provides an exception: when it is obvious to a reasonably well-informed and attentive person.

Paragraph 5 adds two useful details. The information must be clear and prominent. And it must be given at the latest at the time of the first interaction. Source: the text of Article 50 on artificialintelligenceact.eu.

On the timeline, several legal analyses indicate that Article 50 has applied since August 2, 2026. The postponement decided by the “Digital Omnibus” concerns other parts, notably high-risk systems and the technical marking of certain generated content, not the information about chatbots (Leto, a law firm). I could not confirm every date in the Official Journal of the EU. If your situation is sensitive, have a lawyer review it.

Who is affected: you or the chatbot vendor?

Strict reading of the text: the obligation targets the provider first, meaning the vendor of the tool. You are the one who installs it on your site.

In practice, don't count on that. Two reasons:

• A vendor may have planned a welcome message, or not. Many widgets are freely configurable.
• Your visitor sees your site. If they feel deceived, they will blame you, not a vendor whose name they don't know.

First step: open your site on a phone, trigger the chatbot, and look at the first thing that appears. If nothing says it is an AI, a sentence is missing.

What sentence should you display in the chatbot window?

Short, clear, no jargon. A few examples to adapt:

• “Hello, I'm the practice's virtual assistant. I am an artificial intelligence.”
• “You are chatting with an automated assistant (AI). To speak to a person, click "Contact the team".”
• “This assistant is an AI. It can make mistakes: for a firm quote, call us.”

What makes a disclosure valid, according to the text: it is visible (not in pale gray under the button) and present from the first message. A line hidden in the legal notice does not meet this condition.

If you can, add an exit to a human. Article 50 does not require it. It is what reassures your visitor, and a reassured customer writes more readily.

Disclosure examples by trade

The tone changes with your clientele. The idea stays the same: say it is an AI, say what it can do, offer a human.

• Plumber or tradesperson: “The company's AI assistant. I take your request and note your contact details. For an emergency, call directly.”
• Practice (accountant, physiotherapist, lawyer): “I am an automated assistant. I do not give personalized advice. For an opinion, book an appointment with the practice.”
• Shop: “The shop's AI assistant. I answer on opening hours, delivery and returns. A specific question about an order? Write to us.”
• Real estate agent: “The agency's AI assistant. I can point you to the listings. For a viewing, an advisor will contact you.”

Notice what these sentences have in common: none promises that the AI never makes mistakes. For a practice or a regulated profession, this caution matters. A chatbot must not give the impression of delivering professional advice in your place.

A 5-minute check

Do this test today, with your phone:

1. Open your site in private browsing, like a visitor discovering you.
2. Trigger the chatbot. Read the very first message aloud.
3. Ask yourself: does someone in a hurry understand they are talking to an AI? If the answer is “maybe,” change the sentence.
4. Ask a trick question (“What is your exact price?”). If the assistant makes up a price, fix its instructions or switch it off.
5. Look for the button that leads to a human. If there isn't one, add a phone number or a form.

Point 4 is the one people forget. A clear AI disclosure protects your visitor from confusion, but it does not protect your image if the assistant gives a wrong price in front of a customer.

Where should you place the disclosure on the site?

From most important to most optional:

1. In the chatbot's first message. This is the place that counts.
2. On the button or the window header, for example “AI assistant.”
3. In your privacy policy, with a sentence about the data entered in the conversation.

Point 3 is not the same subject as Article 50, but it goes with it: a visitor who types their name and phone number into a chatbot entrusts you with personal data. Tell them what it is used for.

When the disclosure is not needed

The text leaves one case aside: when it is obvious. A window called “AI assistant,” with a drawn robot and a first sentence that says so, makes it obvious. That is precisely what you get by following the advice above.

If, on the other hand, your chatbot has a human first name, a photo of a person and a chatty tone like talking with friends, don't count on “obviousness.” Display the sentence.

And if you have no chatbot? Nothing to display. A contact form, a phone number and an email address are plenty for many small businesses. A chatbot is not a business obligation: for a plumber or a baker, a well-placed “Call” button is sometimes better.

Chatbot or not: what your site should do first

Before asking yourself the chatbot question, check these basics:

• The phone number displays in one tap on mobile.
• Opening hours and address are visible without scrolling.
• A short form (name, phone, need) lands in your mailbox.
• The page loads fast on a phone.

This is what we put into a Fiddes Web site: a simple base, with no widget you don't control. If you add a chatbot later, you know where it goes and where to write the disclosure: a clean site can be changed without headaches. The Essentiel pack at €490 (1 page, delivered in 5 days) and the Pro pack at €990 (up to 5 pages, delivered in 7 days) are shown on the packs page. Hosting and maintenance cost €39 per month, 12-month commitment. No work starts before payment.