Guides · Article 50 · EU AI Act
AI chatbot disclosure for online storefronts
Storefront AI assistants recommend products, answer sizing questions, and chase down order status. On a Shopify store or any hosted commerce platform, two EU AI Act paragraphs can be relevant: Article 50(1) where the assistant interacts directly with shoppers, and Article 50(2) where it generates synthetic text. This guide explains both from the regulation text. It is informational only, not legal advice, and does not name any app or platform as in or out of scope.
The shopper-interaction limb — Article 50(1)
Article 50(1) provides that providers must ensure AI systems intended to interact directly with natural persons are designed so those people are informed they are interacting with an AI system, unless that is obvious in context. A storefront chat that shoppers type to is squarely a directly interactive system. A widget branded as an 'AI shopping assistant' may make the AI nature more obvious; a concierge presented under a person's name, less so. Whether your specific storefront bot engages 50(1) is fact-specific, as is who is the provider when the bot is a third-party app installed on your store.
If the assistant writes its replies — Article 50(2)
Product blurbs, personalised recommendations, and generated answers are synthetic text. Article 50(2) asks providers of systems generating synthetic text to mark outputs in a machine-readable format and detectable as artificially generated, subject to carve-outs — including where the AI performs an assistive function for standard editing or does not substantially alter the input. Whether a shopping assistant's generated replies fall inside 50(2), and whether a carve-out applies, are fact-specific questions for counsel.
Practical placement for a storefront
Article 50(5) points toward a clear, distinguishable notice at or before the first interaction, meeting accessibility requirements. Merchants commonly put the AI notice in the chat's opening message, keep a persistent label on the widget, and preserve an easy path to a human for anything the bot cannot handle. Our free scope check can give an informational read on which paragraphs your setup may engage.
Common questions
Does my store's AI shopping assistant need to say it's AI?
Article 50(1) points toward informing shoppers they are interacting with an AI system, unless that is already obvious in context; if the assistant generates text, 50(2) may also be relevant for the provider. Whether either applies to your specific setup is fact-specific — verify with qualified counsel.
See what may apply to your business
Answer seven quick questions for an automated, informational indication of which Article 50 obligations appear likely to apply — free, and not legal advice.