The EU Artificial Intelligence Act is being applied in stages. On 2 August 2026 a new set of rules started to apply, and they concern many ordinary businesses: those that use chatbots on their website or publish content created with AI.
What already applies
- Since February 2025: bans on certain unacceptable AI practices
- Since February 2025: an obligation to support the AI literacy of staff who use AI systems
What changed on 2 August 2026
- People must be informed when they are talking to a chatbot and not to a human
- AI-generated content must be marked in a machine-readable way
- Deepfakes, meaning realistic images, audio or video created with AI, must be disclosed
- Member states must have authorities in place to enforce the rules
What was postponed
The strictest rules, for high-risk AI systems such as those used in recruitment or credit scoring, were postponed: to 2 December 2027 for standalone systems and to 2 August 2028 for AI embedded in regulated products.
A practical checklist for your business
- Make a list of the AI tools your team uses
- Add a clear notice to your chatbot that users are talking to AI
- Label images and videos created with AI in your marketing
- Train your staff on the safe use of AI tools
- Keep a human in the loop for decisions that affect people
The good news: for most small businesses, compliance is mostly about transparency and common sense, not about abandoning AI. Used correctly, AI remains one of the best ways to save time and serve customers better.
At Webrise we build AI chatbots and automations with transparency built in from day one. If you want to review the tools you already use, get in touch with us.
This article is for general information and is not legal advice.
