Does the EU AI Act apply if I'm outside the EU?
It can. The Act covers providers and deployers established outside the Union when the output of the AI system is used in the Union.
Drafted with AI help and checked against the official EU text before publishing.
It can. The Act covers providers and deployers established outside the Union when the output of the AI system is used in the Union. Selling into the EU, or using a tool whose results are used there, can bring you in.
Selling into the EU, or using a tool whose results are used there, can bring you in. Where you sit is not a complete shield. Look at where the output is used, not only at your letterhead.
This is general information, not legal advice.
What the law actually says
"This Regulation applies to: (a) providers placing on the market or putting into service AI systems or placing on the market general-purpose AI models in the Union, irrespective of whether those providers are established or located within the Union or in a third country; (b) deployers of AI systems that have their place of establishment or are located within the Union; (c) providers and deployers of AI systems that have their place of establishment or are located in a third country, where the output produced by the AI system is used in the Union;"— EU AI Act, Article 2(1)(a)–(c) (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) · eur-lex.europa.eu
In plain words
- If you are established in the EU and you deploy an AI system, Article 2(1)(b) covers you.
- If you are outside the EU but the output is used in the Union — for example an EU customer sees the result — Article 2(1)(c) can cover you.
- Providers who place a system on the Union market are covered even if they sit in a third country.
- Where you sit is not a complete shield. Look at where the output is used, not only at your letterhead.
- Will look for signs of AI use in the folders you choose, and write them down for you.
- Will write a plain-language readiness report. No evidence reads "Not assessed", never a green tick.
- Will run as a free Windows program on your own computer and send nothing from it.
- Coming with Guard: a check every month, kept so you can see your history and what changed since the last one.
- Coming with Guard: a printable readiness pack built from your check results — AI use found, training notes, disclosure checklist.
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Readiness guidance, not legal advice. The Free Toolkit sends nothing from your computer.