What are the fines, realistically, for a small business?
The Act sets upper limits, not automatic bills. For a small business the cap is the lower of a euro amount and a share of turnover, and the top band is for banned practices — not for a shop using a chatbot.
Answered by GlassBots' AI assistant — not a person, not legal advice. We review new questions and publish them as permanent answers.
The Act sets upper limits, not automatic bills. For a small business the cap is the lower of a euro amount and a share of turnover.
The top band (EUR 35 million or 7% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher) is for banned practices in Article 5 — not for a shop using a chatbot. Other listed duties, including Article 50 transparency, sit in a lower band. Member States also set the local penalty rules, and they may use warnings.
This is general information, not legal advice. We do not guess what a first enforcement case will look like.
What the law actually says
"In the case of SMEs, including start-ups, each fine referred to in this Article shall be up to the percentages or amount referred to in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5, whichever thereof is lower."— EU AI Act, Article 99(6) (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) · eur-lex.europa.eu
In plain words
- Article 99(3) sets a ceiling of EUR 35 000 000 or 7% of worldwide turnover — whichever is higher — for banned AI practices in Article 5. That is not the band for ordinary chatbot use.
- Article 99(4) sets a ceiling of EUR 15 000 000 or 3% for other listed duties, including the Article 50 transparency rules.
- Article 99(5) sets a ceiling of EUR 7 500 000 or 1% for giving wrong or incomplete information to authorities.
- For SMEs, Article 99(6) uses whichever figure is lower in each band. Member States also set the local penalty rules, and they may use warnings.
- Scans your computer and lists every AI tool your business actually uses.
- Checks your settings files for the transparency basics and produces a plain-language readiness report.
- Runs in your browser, free, nothing uploaded.
- Every month: re-scan, and the report can be updated each month — "what changed since last check" is written for you.
- Your records build into a printable readiness pack: tool inventory, training journal, disclosure checklist.
- Keeps the dated history an inspector would ask to see.
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Readiness guidance, not legal advice. GlassBots checks your own computer — nothing leaves it.