AI Act & Customer Service: Why Transparency in AI Phone Assistants is Now Mandatory
The transparency obligations of the EU AI Act explained simply. Learn why you need to be transparent with AI chatbots and phone assistants, and how to implement it.
Legal Notice
The content of this article is intended solely for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Although we create the information with the utmost care, we make no guarantees regarding its accuracy, completeness, and timeliness. For binding advice on your specific situation, please contact a qualified lawyer.
The End of Hiding: Transparency Becomes Mandatory
Imagine you call a company and a friendly voice immediately assists you. Only after minutes do you realize that you have not spoken to a human but to a machine. What is still a technical gimmick today will be subject to a clear rule from August 2, 2026: the transparency obligation of the EU AI Act.
This obligation is one of the most practical and immediate requirements of the new regulation for customer service. It states that you must clearly and unambiguously inform people when they are interacting with an AI system. The aim is to avoid deception and to strengthen trust in technology.
What Exactly Does "Transparency" Mean According to the AI Act?
The regulation is very clear on this. It is about creating clarity. You may already be familiar with this principle from the debate about "deepfakes" – images or videos manipulated by AI. Here too, the AI Act mandates a labeling requirement so that everyone can immediately recognize what is real and what is not.
For your customer service, this means: as soon as an AI system, such as a chatbot or a voice assistant, is used, you must disclose this. The time when AI systems secretly imitated human employees is over.
The Practical Implementation: From Website Notification to Clear Announcement
How you implement this obligation depends on the channel. In a chatbot on your website, a small but clearly visible note like "You are chatting with our digital assistant" may suffice.
In the telephone channel, the requirement is different. A caller cannot read text. Therefore, an explicit verbal announcement is needed right at the beginning of the conversation. A simple and effective example script could go like this:
"Good day, you are speaking with the digital assistant of Mustermann Company. How can I help you?"
This brief announcement meets the legal requirement and provides clarity from the very first moment.
How You Can Easily Implement the Transparency Obligation
The good news is: the technical implementation of this obligation does not have to be complicated. Providers of AI solutions can integrate this feature directly into their product. An AI assistant, such as Safina, can be configured so that such a greeting is activated by default.
This positions transparency not as a burdensome obligation, but as an integral part of service design. For you as a user, this means legal certainty from the very first call, without having to worry about the technical implementation yourself.
More Than an Obligation: Transparency as a Basis for Trust
Ultimately, the transparency obligation is much more than just a checkbox on a compliance checklist. It is a powerful tool to gain and maintain the trust of your customers.
A customer who knows from the outset that they are speaking with an AI can adjust their expectations and will not be frustrated by a later "revelation". Openness prevents misunderstandings and shows that your company uses technology responsibly. An informed customer is ultimately a more satisfied customer. Thus, a legal requirement transforms into a real advantage for your customer experience.
