ActNavigator was created because many smaller companies are now using AI faster than they can build governance around it. A founder adds an AI feature to a SaaS product. A hiring team tests automated CV screening. A support team introduces a chatbot. A consulting firm starts implementing AI workflows for clients. Each use case can be valuable, but each also raises a simple question: what does the EU AI Act expect from us?
Large enterprises can often answer that question with legal departments, specialist consultants and formal risk committees. SMEs usually cannot. They still need a clear view of potential exposure, but they need it in a format that fits how smaller teams actually work: fast, concrete, structured and focused on decisions.
Who built ActNavigator?
ActNavigator is built by a European team working at the intersection of AI governance, product operations and regulatory technology. The product translates public information about the EU AI Act into practical tools for companies that need an early orientation before deciding whether to involve specialist legal counsel.
The team has designed ActNavigator around the questions operators ask in real business settings: Are we a provider or deployer? Is this AI system high-risk, limited-risk or likely lower-risk? Do we need transparency notices? Which dates matter? What should we document first? The goal is not to replace professional advice. It is to make the first layer of understanding easier and more consistent.
ActNavigator is intentionally free to use during early access. There are no user accounts, no signup wall and no persistent storage of scan data. That matters because early AI Act preparation should be accessible to SMEs before they have budget, process maturity or a dedicated compliance function.
Why ActNavigator exists
The EU AI Act is risk-based. That sounds simple, but it becomes complex when a business tries to apply the framework to real systems. The same underlying model can create very different obligations depending on whether it is used for internal drafting, customer support, hiring, credit assessment, education, product safety or access to services.
This is where many SMEs get stuck. They do not need generic statements about AI regulation. They need to map concrete use cases, understand role and risk, and identify a realistic next step. ActNavigator was built for that operational layer.
What the product does
- helps teams describe their AI system in plain language
- checks whether the use case may fall within the EU AI Act framework
- gives indicative risk classification based on practical inputs
- points users toward relevant guidance pages and compliance steps
- keeps the experience lightweight, private and accessible without signup
The scanner and guides are designed as an orientation layer. They help companies prepare better questions, prioritise documentation and understand when more specialist review may be needed.
How ActNavigator approaches content
Every guide is written for people running companies, not for lawyers reading legislation for its own sake. That means the content uses concrete examples, dates, internal links and risk-neutral language. It avoids absolute guarantees because AI Act obligations depend on context, future guidance and how a system is actually used.
Useful starting points include the EU AI Act guide, the risk classification guide, the AI Act vs GDPR comparison, and the Digital Omnibus update. Companies that want a faster first pass can run the free AI Act scan.