Overview

• Starting July 21, Aldi Süd has printed small notices like “Serviervorschlag mit Hilfe von KI generiert” beside AI-composed food images in its weekly brochures.
• The company says it is acting out of voluntary transparency even though German law currently imposes no requirement to disclose AI use in marketing materials.
• AI expert Peter Gentsch estimates about 80 percent of all promotional brochures are already produced automatically and cautions that labeling every AI-generated image could overload the pages.
• Observers say the move reflects Germany’s cautious stance on artificial intelligence and could preempt future obligations under the EU AI Act once it is implemented nationally.
• A Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland report finds nearly half of Germans now prefer AI assistants like ChatGPT for shopping advice, while 37 percent say they worry about AI becoming too integrated in everyday life.