FARFETCH
Content, media, and technology
EU
European Commission begins enforcing AI Act and applies transparency requirements
On August 2, 2026, the European Commission’s AI Office, alongside national authorities, began enforcing the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
Since August 2, 2026, new transparency rules now apply which require certain AI systems to inform users when they are interacting with AI and when content has been generated or altered by AI.
Interactive AI systems such as chatbots must disclose they are not human, deepfakes must be labeled, and AI-generated or altered content must include machine-readable markings.
This marks the culmination of a series of developments we have tracked across recent issues: the European Commission published draft guidelines for consultation on these obligations in May 2026, followed by a voluntary Code of Practice drafted by independent experts in June 2026, and the final guidelines clarifying which providers and deployers are in scope in July 2026. The Commission's commencement of enforcement on August 2, 2026, therefore represents the most operationally significant milestone in this series to date.
U.K.
ASA rules on EverAI Ltd advertising
On August 12, 2026, the ASA ruled that a paid-for Facebook ad for the Candy AI app by EverAI Ltd t/a AI Realities was harmful, irresponsible, and likely to cause serious or widespread offence by objectifying women and promoting a harmful gender stereotype.
The ASA assessed claims including “enjoy limitless fun with AI girls” and “Create your perfect AI girlfriend … control her. She will do anything for you. She never ignores and always wants your attention,” alongside demonstrations of selecting an “AI girl’s” appearance and relationship and personality settings.
The ASA found that, in context, “control her” would be understood as controlling the AI girlfriend’s behavior, and that presenting permanent availability, compliance, and user-tailored physical attributes as desirable traits reinforced a stereotype that women should be submissive and compliant.
The ASA upheld the complaint and found breaches of CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 1.3, 4.1, and 4.9, and required the ad not to appear again in the complained-of form.
U.K.
ASA publishes ruling on Hotpoint “most trusted” Trustpilot claims
On August 26, 2026, the ASA upheld complaints about Hotpoint U.K. Appliances Ltd's website claims that it was "The U.K.'s Most Trusted Appliance Brand" and "THE U.K.'S MOST TRUSTED major domestic appliance brand."
The ASA found consumers were likely to understand the claims as based on overall Trustpilot performance, since they appeared alongside Trustpilot logos, a 4.6 star rating, a TrustScore, and total reviews.
However, the actual basis was not sufficiently clear: Hotpoint relied on a filtered comparator set identified using Kantar 2023 data, then compared the share or volume of five-star Trustpilot reviews, including a stated 22.4% share as of June 1, 2026.
The homepage claim was broad and unqualified, failing to disclose the methodology, the limited comparator set, or when data was last checked.
The ASA found breaches of CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1, 3.3, and 3.32, and required the ad not to appear again in its current form.
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