2026-10-19
The EU AI Act for Small Businesses: What Actually Applies in 2026
What the EU AI Act requires from small businesses since August 2026, which rules were delayed to 2027-28, and a practical checklist to work through.
AI That Actually Works for Your Business
The emails keep coming. The admin takes longer than it should. And working out which AI tool to trust has become a job of its own. There is a calmer way forward: find a useful starting point, learn the skills that matter and build around the work you actually do.
A free 30-minute call, no preparation needed, in English or Portuguese.
Two ways to start
Pick the path that sounds like your situation. You do not need to own a business to put AI to good use.
Learn to use AI
You want to understand what AI can do for you, without hype or homework marathons. Start with the essentials, practise with real examples and grow confidence at your own pace. No technical background needed.
Explore trainingMake work easier
You run a business or a team, and some tasks eat hours every week. We look at where automation and AI can quietly save time, with human oversight and without disrupting what already works.
Explore consultingDemonstration
How a messy enquiry becomes a useful draft
A fictional example of how AI can organise information before anyone replies.
The enquiry arrives
Hi, do you fit bathroom shelves? Looking at next week if possible, the flat is in Sheffield. Thanks, Pat
Fictional example. A potential customer writes the way people actually write: in a hurry, with no form.
The AI organises it
- Intent
- Enquiry: bathroom shelf fitting
- Customer
- Pat (individual)
- Timing
- Next week (to confirm)
- Location
- Sheffield (travel to confirm)
- Suggested reply
- Confirm availability, request a photo of the bathroom, state call-out terms
- Language
- English
Nothing gets sent. The AI only proposes a structure for information that has already arrived.
A person decides
Needs human review
The shelf type and the requested week both need checking. A person reviews, corrects and only then replies. The AI prepares; it does not replace the decision.
In this example, a person reviews the draft before any reply is sent.
Simplified demonstration with synthetic data. No real information is processed and no messages are sent.
Who you work with
Ricardo Belo Da Silva
Founder of CortexLeap. Management and operations, training, hands-on AI development.
Read the full story- More than 20 years managing people, budgets and operations across the UK, Portugal and Guinea-Bissau.
- Assistive Technology Trainer and Team Coordinator: teaching patiently and adapting the explanation to the person is part of the job.
- Builds and runs his own web applications, automations and AI agents, including an assistant that supports real work.
- Continuing machine learning engineering studies through Stanford Online, alongside practice.
- Portuguese, based in the UK. Works in English and Portuguese.
What is available today
Two ways to work together. Explore the options below.
Personal AI Session
£75 per session (final total for the scope listed)
One 60-minute online session, one-to-one, on one prepared, anonymised task from everyday life or work. Includes a short written recap within two working days and one clarification email thread, up to 15 minutes in total, within seven days of the recap.
See the sessionBusiness Process & AI Diagnostic
£349 one-off (final total for the scope listed)
We review up to three agreed, bounded processes in your business. You keep plain-language written findings and a prioritised list of improvements - including the cases where simple process changes beat AI.
See the diagnosticTell me what you want to achieve. We can then discuss the right format and scope.
What happens after you get in touch
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A 30-minute conversation
On a free, no-obligation call we talk about your context and what you would like to make simpler. You come away knowing whether it makes sense to go further.
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A clear recommendation
If I can help, you receive a straight proposal: what I would do, why, what it needs from you and what it costs. If I cannot help, I say so just as clearly.
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Start small, check results
We begin with the work that pays for itself first and move at a comfortable pace. Every step is documented and reviewed by a person before it goes live.
Recent reading
2026-10-16
Does AI Content Rank on Google? What Small Businesses Need to Know in 2026
Yes - AI-assisted content can rank on Google. What Google actually rewards, where AI content fails, and the workflow small businesses should use.
2026-10-13
AI Invoice Automation for Small Business: How to Get Paid Faster in 2026
AI invoice automation chases late payments for you: what to automate first, what the tools cost, and the escalation ladder that gets you paid days sooner.
Quick answers
Is this for me if I do not have a business?
Yes. A significant part of my work is helping individuals take their first practical steps with AI, at their own pace and without sales pressure.
Do I need to know how to program?
No. If you can use a browser and send email, you have enough to start. The technical side, where it matters, is my job.
What does it cost?
That depends on the format and scope. The initial call is always free, and anything you might commit to is priced clearly before you decide.
Which languages do you work in?
English and Portuguese. Training, consulting and materials are available in both.
Starting is simple
A thirty-minute conversation about your work and what you would like to make easier. No obligation, no preparation.
Book a Free 30-Minute Call
Prefer email? Write to hello@cortexleap.tech and I will reply.