diff --git a/src/awkward/contents/emptyarray.py b/src/awkward/contents/emptyarray.py
index 871394093a..775d757f09 100644
--- a/src/awkward/contents/emptyarray.py
+++ b/src/awkward/contents/emptyarray.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 from awkward._backends.backend import Backend
 from awkward._backends.numpy import NumpyBackend
 from awkward._backends.typetracer import TypeTracerBackend
+from awkward._errors import deprecate
 from awkward._layout import maybe_posaxis
 from awkward._nplikes.numpy import Numpy
 from awkward._nplikes.numpylike import ArrayLike, IndexType, NumpyMetadata
@@ -95,6 +96,13 @@ def __copy__(self):
     def __deepcopy__(self, memo):
         return self.copy()
 
+    def __array__(self, dtype=None):
+        deprecate(
+            f"np.asarray(content) is deprecated for {type(self).__name__}. Use ak.to_numpy(content) instead",
+            version="2.6.0",
+        )
+        return numpy.empty(0, dtype=dtype)
+
     @classmethod
     def simplified(cls, *, parameters=None, backend=None):
         if not (parameters is None or len(parameters) == 0):
diff --git a/src/awkward/contents/numpyarray.py b/src/awkward/contents/numpyarray.py
index 6a3f7a572c..1b39cc822b 100644
--- a/src/awkward/contents/numpyarray.py
+++ b/src/awkward/contents/numpyarray.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 from awkward._backends.dispatch import backend_of
 from awkward._backends.numpy import NumpyBackend
 from awkward._backends.typetracer import TypeTracerBackend
+from awkward._errors import deprecate
 from awkward._layout import maybe_posaxis
 from awkward._nplikes import to_nplike
 from awkward._nplikes.jax import Jax
@@ -151,6 +152,13 @@ def __deepcopy__(self, memo):
             parameters=copy.deepcopy(self._parameters, memo),
         )
 
+    def __array__(self, dtype=None):
+        deprecate(
+            f"np.asarray(content) is deprecated for {type(self).__name__}. Use ak.to_numpy(content) instead",
+            version="2.6.0",
+        )
+        return numpy.asarray(self._data, dtype=dtype)
+
     @classmethod
     def simplified(cls, data, *, parameters=None, backend=None):
         return cls(data, parameters=parameters, backend=backend)