Artificial intelligence is already part of the daily operations of many Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). According to the article, nearly eight out of ten Hungarian SMEs now use some form of AI, yet only about a quarter of these companies have a regulated framework that could meet the European Union's tightening AI Act requirements.
Rammacher Zoltán, marketing director for retail and SME segments at K&H, warned that the real risk is not the use of AI itself but undocumented and uncontrolled operation. “Today it is necessary for SMEs in Hungary to employ artificial intelligence in order to keep pace with global competition. ... The real risk is not the use of AI itself, but its undocumented, uncontrolled operation,” he said.
What the EU rules mean in practice
The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act is already in force, but the decisive turning point for businesses is 2 August 2026: from that date the main obligations become mandatory. The regulation imposes strict documentation, transparency and cybersecurity requirements particularly for high-risk AI systems.
Failing to meet these legal and administrative obligations is more than an administrative shortcoming: it creates significant legal, data-protection and operational risks. The AI Act establishes a sanction system with fines whose scale could endanger the stability or even the continuity of operations of capital-constrained SMEs.
Time to prepare — a narrow window
The coming months should be used intensively by domestic companies to prepare: from early August the full application of requirements for high-risk systems will be mandatory. Once the preparation period ends, shortcomings may lead directly to financial and market consequences.
Rammacher stressed that consciously built, transparent AI use not only supports compliance but also strengthens customer and partner relationships. “Trust is one of the most important currencies in the SME sector, which is why consciously built, transparent AI use not only supports compliance but strengthens customer and partner relations as well. The AI Act is not a brake but can be a competitive advantage, and the coming period will favor companies that respond to changes in time,” he added.
Consequences and recommendations
The article warns that a structured transition and review of existing AI systems will be crucial to ensure the regulation becomes a basis for a more predictable, trust-based digital economy rather than an obstacle. Companies should implement proper documentation practices, meet transparency requirements, and introduce cybersecurity measures for applications that pose higher systemic risk.
While related research indicates that two-thirds of employees already use some form of AI tool, the lack of regulated governance remains a sharp risk for the domestic SME sector.
In summary: Hungarian SMEs need to act quickly to avoid potential sanctions under the AI Act and to gain competitive advantage from regulated, transparent AI use. The key deadline is 2 August 2026, when a significant portion of the rules becomes mandatory.
