Methodology and sources

How the tool works

We compare your answers with a database of obligations, prohibitions and recommendations built from the wording of the AI Act and related EU documents. Every item in the report cites the exact article of the regulation with a link to the source. The assessment runs entirely in your browser: answers are stored only in its local storage (delete them with “Start over”) and are never sent to our servers - we cannot see them. Technical visit data (such as your IP address) is processed by the hosting provider Vercel for security and operation. Details are in the privacy notice linked in the footer. The English edition uses the same assessment core as the Czech original - identical answers produce identical results in both languages.

How the tool catalogue works

The catalogue path saves time: you select the tools you use (for example ChatGPT or Tidio) and confirm what you actually use them for. From the confirmed use - never from the product brand alone - the guide suggests answers to the same questions the manual path asks, explains each suggestion and shows everything for review and editing before the report is created. Your manual change always wins. A product brand by itself creates no obligation: the same tool can be used internally (minimal impact) or in ways the AI Act targets - the purpose, the people affected and the degree of human control decide. The tool list is indicative, says nothing about specific products’ features and can be extended with your own entry. Catalogue version 1.0.1, last reviewed 18 July 2026. Your tool selection, like your answers, is never sent anywhere.

Key dates

• 2 February 2025 - prohibited AI practices (Article 5) and AI literacy (Article 4).
• 2 August 2025 - rules for general-purpose AI models (GPAI models), governance, the penalty framework.
• 2 August 2026 - transparency (Article 50): chatbots, disclosure of deep fakes and certain AI texts.
• 2 December 2026 - new prohibitions in Article 5(1)(ba) and (bb), and the deadline for older synthetic-content systems to comply with Article 50(2) machine-readable marking.
• 2 December 2027 - high-risk AI rules under Annex III, including certain recruitment, scoring and education uses.
• 2 August 2028 - high-risk AI rules for systems connected with regulated products under Annex I.

Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 was published on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 27 July 2026. These delays are therefore law, not a proposal or expected timetable.

Who does the AI Act apply to (Article 2)?

The AI Act can also reach businesses established outside the EU: it applies, among other cases, where a provider places an AI system on the market or puts it into service in the EU, and where the output produced by an AI system is used in the EU. A provider develops an AI system and places it on the market or puts it into service under its own name; a deployer is a business using an AI system under its authority. This tool focuses on the deployer perspective and flags when you may also be a provider.

Who enforces the AI Act in the EU?

Supervision is shared: the European Commission’s AI Office oversees general-purpose AI models and coordinates consistent application, while national competent authorities designated by each member state supervise most other obligations and handle complaints. Several member states were still completing their national set-up as of the legal-status date. National law may add further requirements beyond the EU-level AI Act - this tool does not assess employment, consumer, data-protection or other national rules.

The Commission’s official tools

The European Commission runs the official AI Act Service Desk with a Compliance Checker. We recommend it as an authoritative reference. This tool differs in focus: plain language for small businesses, a prioritised action plan and editable Word templates. It does not replace the official resources.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the AI Act) - English text, EUR-LexThe primary source of every citation (Articles 4, 5, 50, 99, Annex III).
• European Commission: AI Act - governance and enforcementHow the EU AI Office and national competent authorities share supervision.
• European Commission: AI Act overview (regulatory framework for AI)Official overview of the risk-based framework.
• AI Act Service Desk and Single Information PlatformThe Commission’s official support service, including its own Compliance Checker.
• Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus), EUR-LexFinal changes to Article 4, new Article 5 prohibitions, the Article 111(4) transition and the high-risk delays.
• European Commission: final Article 50 transparency guidelines (20 July 2026)Guidance on synthetic-content marking, deep fakes, public-interest texts and disclosure duties.
• Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) - English text, EUR-LexAutomated decisions (Article 22), biometric data.

What this tool does not do

• It does not provide legal advice and does not replace an individual assessment - it is a qualified first orientation.
• It does not cover in depth the obligations of AI providers (Articles 16–25; for general-purpose AI models Articles 51–55), importers and distributors (Articles 23–24), or the full deployer regime for high-risk systems (Article 26) - seek professional advice there.
• It does not decide whether a specific system falls under the Article 6(3) exception - the result is a first orientation, not a classification of your system.
• It covers the EU-level AI Act only. National employment, data-protection, consumer-protection and supervisory rules may add further requirements.
• It does not actively assess the new prohibitions applying from 2 December 2026 to intimate content made without the depicted person's explicit consent and to material depicting child sexual abuse. Consult the full amended Article 5 for those cases.
• It never sends your answers to any server - so there is nobody who could read them; the hosting processes ordinary technical visit data only.

Changelog

0.3.0 beta (3 August 2026) - Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 and the final Commission Article 50 guidelines incorporated; legal status and privacy information updated; download accessibility and social metadata improved. Shared assessment core 1.1.0.

0.3.0 beta (19 July 2026) - the English edition moved to its own domain, aiactwithoutpanic.eu. Old /en addresses redirect here permanently. Content and the shared assessment core 1.1.0 are unchanged.

0.1.2 beta (18 July 2026) - proper dark mode following the system preference across the whole tool and centred value cards on the landing page. Assessment logic, catalogue and documents unchanged. Shared assessment core 1.0.2.

0.1.1 beta (18 July 2026) - fixes from independent production QA: catalogue entry “Custom chatbot” fully localised (including search), English accessible name of the SME Union logo, a broader wording of the provider role option (first use in your own business, rebranding, substantial modification) and a non-wrapping language switcher on mobile. Shared assessment core 1.0.1.

0.1.0 beta (18 July 2026) - first public beta of the English EU Edition, built on the shared assessment core 1.0.0.