Question 1

What is the EU AI Act?

Accepted Answer

The EU AI Act is the European Union's first comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence. It sets rules for how AI systems can be developed, deployed, and used — with stricter obligations for higher-risk uses such as recruitment, credit scoring, education, and essential services. Full enforcement begins on 2 August 2026.

Question 2

Does the EU AI Act apply to UK businesses?

Accepted Answer

Yes — if your AI systems are used by, or have an impact on, individuals in the European Union, the Act applies to you regardless of where your business is based. In practice this means most UK businesses with EU customers, EU staff, or EU-based users fall within scope.

Question 3

What happens if I don't comply by 2 August 2026?

Accepted Answer

Non-compliance can lead to fines of up to €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover (whichever is higher) for breaches of deployer and transparency obligations, with the most serious prohibited-use breaches attracting penalties of up to €35 million or 7% of global turnover.

Question 4

How long does the compliance checker take?

Accepted Answer

Approximately 2 minutes. The checker asks 8 plain-English questions about how your business uses AI, your EU exposure, and your current policies — no documents or payment required.

Question 5

What do I get after completing the checker?

Accepted Answer

You receive a personalised risk report on screen and by email, showing your EU AI Act risk level and the recommended Clausely compliance pack for your business. You can act on it immediately or save it for later.

Question 6

Can’t I just use ChatGPT or Claude to write my own compliance documents for free?

Accepted Answer

You can — the same way you could represent yourself in court. But here’s what that approach misses. AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude don’t know your specific business, your AI use cases, your data flows, or which risk category the EU AI Act places you in. They’ll produce something that looks like a compliance document. Whether it actually covers you legally is another question entirely.

Clausely starts with a structured risk assessment that determines your actual obligations first. Your documents are then generated against that specific profile — not a generic template. They reference the correct articles of the EU AI Act, reflect your business’s risk level, and are structured the way regulators expect to see them. If you’re ever investigated, “I asked ChatGPT” is not a defence. A tailored, dated, signed document that demonstrates genuine compliance awareness is.

EU AI Act compliance checker: is your business ready?

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EU AI Act compliance checker — your questions answered