The EU AI Act for Small Businesses – Using AI at Work, Relaxed

AI tools like Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT or open models have arrived in everyday office life. At the same time, the EU AI Act introduces uniform rules for artificial intelligence in Europe for the first time. Sounds like a lot of bureaucracy? For most small businesses it's manageable. Here's what it's about.

The AI Act in brief

The AI Act is an EU regulation that entered into force in 2024. Its rules take effect step by step. The basic idea: the higher the risk of an AI application, the stricter the requirements.

Typical office tasks – drafting texts, summarising emails, brainstorming – are usually at the lower end.

Who has to do what?

The AI Act distinguishes between providers, who develop AI systems, and deployers, who use them. Most obligations are on the providers. For businesses that use AI, two points are especially relevant:

• AI literacy: Your team should know how the tools work, where their limits are and what to watch out for.
• Transparency: In certain cases it should be clear that content was created with AI or that someone is talking to an AI.

For the exact obligations in your case, please talk to a legal adviser – I'll support you with the practical side.

A few terms, briefly explained

• AI system: Software that generates outputs like texts, suggestions or decisions from inputs.
• General-purpose AI (GPAI): Large models that can be used for lots of different tasks.
• Deployer: Whoever uses an AI system in their own business.

Practical tips for everyday use

1. Short training: Spend an hour trying things out together and talking about strengths and limits.
2. Check results: AI can be wrong. Always double-check important texts and numbers.
3. Protect sensitive data: Don't enter health, client or HR data without a clear basis.
4. Document briefly: One page is enough: which tools, what for, with which rules.

The open option: AI on your own server

If you handle sensitive data, a local AI is a nice option. With open models and tools like Ollama, Open WebUI or the Nextcloud Assistant, the assistant runs on your own hardware. Your data then doesn't leave your premises. With me, a local AI is in the works for this.

An example from a small agency

An advertising agency with six people uses AI for text drafts and ideas. In one hour, it goes through the main points:

1. Which tools? A chat assistant for texts and an image generator for first sketches.
2. What's allowed? General texts, ideas, drafts. No client data from confidential projects.
3. How are results checked? Every text gets a second pair of eyes before publication.
4. How is it labelled? Where necessary, it's made clear that content was created with AI.

The result fits on one page and is reviewed once a year. The team feels more confident – and uses the tools more relaxed than before.

Common misconceptions

• "We have to get every AI use approved." For typical office uses, that's generally not the case.
• "Local AI is always worse." For many everyday tasks, open models deliver very good results.
• "The AI Act bans ChatGPT and friends." No. It sets rules, mainly for providers and for particularly risky uses.

Conclusion

The AI Act sets clear ground rules – and for small businesses the effort is manageable. With a bit of know-how in the team, a few simple rules and tools that suit you, you can use AI with peace of mind. I also offer a joint introduction to AI tools as a workshop.

If you'd like to give it a try, I'm happy to help – just drop me a line.