EU AI Act: a simple guide for entrepreneurs (2025–2027)
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (the AI Act) is now in force. It creates one rulebook for
how AI should be used across the EU. For most microbusinesses that use AI tools (rather than
build them), the law asks for a few commonsense things: avoid clearly harmful uses, be
transparent when people interact with AI, and keep a human in control. European
Commission
What changes when?
The Act entered into force on 1 August 2024. Its rules come into effect in stages. First, thegeneral rules and the ban on certain harmful AI uses apply. Later, obligations forgeneralpurpose AI (the models behind popular tools) start, followed by most remainingrules. Some final parts apply in 2027. Think of it as a gradual rollout rather than a singledeadline. EUR-Lex+2European Commission+2
What is not allowed?
The law bans a short list of harmful AI practices. Examples include systems that try tomanipulate people in ways that can cause harm, social scoring of individuals, anduntargeted scraping of facial images to build recognition databases. The Act also forbidsemotion recognition in workplaces and schools (with narrow exceptions), and puts strictlimits on certain biometric uses. These are “red lines”: if a use falls here, don’t use it. DigitalStrategy EU+1
Everyday use: what most small businesses need to do
If you use AI to draft text, summarise emails, answer website chats or generate images, yourmain duty is transparency. Tell people when they are chatting with a bot. If you publishAIgenerated or AIedited images, audio or video (often called “deepfakes”), label them assuch. This keeps communication honest and helps customers trust your content. DigitalStrategy EU+1
A practical way to start
Begin by writing down where you use AI: which tools, for what tasks, and who uses them.Add a short notice in your chat widget or contact page (“You may be interacting with an AIassistant, ask for a human at any time”). For visuals, add a simple line such as “Imagegenerated with AI”. Finally, ask your vendors how they comply with the AI Act and howthey protect your data; keep their answers with your notes. These steps are quick, lowcost,and already move you in the right direction. ai-act-service-desk.ec.europa.eu
Dates to watch
The main pieces arrive between 2025 and 2027. General provisions and the ban on certainpractices start first; rules for generalpurpose AI models follow; most of the rest applies from2026, with additional parts in 2027. The EU also publishes updates and guidance as it goes, soit’s worth checking official pages once in a while.
Final thought
For most microbusinesses, the EU AI Act is not about paperwork; it’s about clear, respectfuluse of AI: be transparent, keep a human in control, and choose trustworthy vendors. Startsmall, document your approach, and iterate. That’s also how learning works.
This article was is an overview of the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act for microentrepreneurs.It is not legal advice. If you plan to use AI in sensitive areas (for example, HR screening oreducation tools), ask a specialist early.
This article was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence, and the images weregenerated using AI tools.