The EU AI Act: What Businesses Using AI Need to Do

By Sofiane Jelloul, founder of Scaly AI · Published November 10, 2026 · 2 min read

The EU AI Act, Europe’s regulation on artificial intelligence, applies to businesses that use AI, to different degrees. Two obligations already cover almost every business: training your team on AI use, in force since February 2, 2025, and telling people when they’re interacting with AI, applicable since August 2, 2026.

Who it applies to

Any business that uses AI is covered. You don’t have to build a tool for it to apply: it’s enough that your team uses one.

How much applies depends on the use. An assistant that helps draft emails raises different questions than a tool involved in an important decision. That’s why the first step is always the same: find out which uses exist in your business.

Obligation 1: train your team

Since February 2, 2025, businesses that use AI must make sure the people who use it are trained on how to use it.

In practice, everyone should know what the tool does, what it doesn’t do, and what precautions to take. For example: which data can go into it and which stays out; when to double-check an answer; who to ask when in doubt.

A written usage policy that’s simple and shared is a first step. It replaces vague bans with clear rules.

Obligation 2: say when people are talking to AI

Since August 2, 2026, anyone interacting with an AI system must be told so.

That covers a chatbot on your website or a voice agent answering the phone. The tool has to introduce itself as AI. At Scaly AI, our agents always introduce themselves as AI assistants and offer a person at any time.

Where to start

Three steps lay the groundwork.

1. Map your AI use. Which AI tools are used, by whom, and for what. Include the consumer tools your team uses without mentioning it.
2. Assign owners. One owner per use. That person knows what the tool does and answers questions about it.
3. Write a policy. Simple rules: what’s fine, what to avoid, who to ask.

The result fits in a register of uses: tools, risks, and owners. You finally know what’s in use across your business.

How it fits with GDPR

The EU AI Act doesn’t replace GDPR. Both apply at the same time.

GDPR protects personal data. The EU AI Act governs how AI is used. As soon as an AI tool handles customer or employee data, you need to look at both. That’s why a serious mapping reviews every use under each one.

One simple point helps a lot: knowing where your data goes. Consumer tools don’t always guarantee your data stays yours. Private AI for business, where your data is stored and processed in Europe and never used to train a model, settles much of the question.

The official text

Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 is available on EUR-Lex: read the official text of the EU AI Act.

This article is not legal advice.

Learn more

• Explore AI compliance
• Explore private AI for business