Founder's AI accountability checklist: 30 checks and a free tracking sheet for small teams

A new guide offers small companies and startups a 30-item AI accountability checklist spread across six areas, aimed at teams without a compliance department. It opens by urging founders to inventory every AI tool their staff use, including free apps, browser extensions, and forgotten API keys, since the gap between perceived and actual use is where risk accumulates. The author cites the EU AI Act's transparency obligations, effective August 2, 2026, which require disclosure of chatbots and labeling of AI-generated content, with fines that can reach €15 million or 3% of global turnover. It also points to rising misuse of stolen AI API keys and to client security questionnaires that now ask how data is handled by AI tools. The checklist is meant to be worked through gradually, one area per week, with each item assigned an owner and a status, and a free tracking sheet is provided for the purpose.