AI Comply ShieldAdd an AI notice to Shopify
Short answer: If your store's chat app answers with AI and shoppers in the EU use it, add a one-line AI notice to the app's greeting message, plus an optional footer notice via a Custom Liquid block (Online Store > Themes > Customize). Article 50(1) of the EU AI Act has applied since 2 August 2026. The legal duty sits with the chat app's maker - unless you had the bot built under your own brand.
Shopify stores sell into the EU constantly, and many add an AI chat app to answer shoppers. If EU customers chat with that AI, Article 50(1) of the EU AI Act may require a clear notice. Here is when it applies and how to add it to a Shopify theme without editing code.
When Article 50(1) can apply to your Shopify chat
Article 50(1) has applied since 2 August 2026. People interacting with an AI system should be told so, unless it is obvious. It follows the customer's location: a store based anywhere that sells to shoppers in the EU is affected when those shoppers use an AI chat.
What matters is the chat app, not Shopify itself. Some stores use chat for human replies only — no Article 50(1) issue there. Many install a third-party chat app from the Shopify App Store that answers automatically with AI, often for order tracking, shipping and product questions. Those conversations are with an AI system.
E-commerce chat is where it is least obvious. A shopper asking "where is my order?" at 11pm gets a fluent, instant answer, and has no reason to guess it is not a person.
If you use Shopify Markets to sell in several EU countries, think about each storefront language. A notice written only in English on a German-language storefront is less likely to count as clear to a German shopper. Match the notice to the language the shopper actually browses in, and check each market's preview in the theme editor.
Who is legally responsible? Article 50(1) puts the duty on the provider - the company that makes your chat app, not Shopify and not you as a store owner. The exception: if a developer built a custom AI chat for your store under your own brand, you are likely the provider yourself. Either way, what shoppers see is set in the app you control.
Article 50(5) adds that the information must be clear and distinguishable, given at the latest at the first interaction, and meet the applicable accessibility requirements. In practice: use real text, not only an icon, with enough contrast to read.
Where to put the notice in Shopify
Put the notice inside your chat app's greeting, and add the kit's snippet to your theme footer so it appears across the store.
1. Open the theme editor
In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes and click Customize on your live theme. Shopify recommends duplicating your theme first as a backup — do that before changing anything.
2. Add a Custom Liquid block to the footer
In the theme editor, the Footer area can hold apps and custom Liquid. Add a Custom Liquid section or block there and paste the kit's snippet into it. Shopify notes that the header and footer are shared across all pages, so one paste shows the notice everywhere — product pages, cart and home page.
3. Save and preview
Save, then open your store on desktop and mobile and check the notice sits near where the chat bubble opens. If your theme has no Custom Liquid option, search Shopify's help for "custom Liquid"; do not edit theme code unless you are comfortable doing so.
4. The chat app's greeting
Open your chat app's settings (inside Shopify under Apps, or in the app's own dashboard) and add the notice to its welcome or greeting message. This is the most important step — it is what the shopper actually reads when they start chatting.
5. Other languages
If you sell in several EU languages, add translated versions. The Business kit includes German, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch.
Theme editor labels vary between themes. If you don't see Custom Liquid in the footer, your theme may offer it as a section instead of a block.
Example notice line
Our chat assistant uses AI. For help from a person, ask to speak to our team.
Only mention a person if your team actually picks up those chats. The exact wording isn't set by the European Commission — it just needs to be clear.
What this page is not
We are not a partner of Shopify and are not affiliated with or endorsed by them. This page covers Article 50(1) chatbot transparency only — not the rest of the EU AI Act, such as high-risk systems, general-purpose AI models or AI-generated content labelling, and not GDPR. It is general information, not legal advice. If your AI use goes beyond a customer chat, get proper legal advice.
Sources
Maintained by Penn Ltd. Last checked against Shopify's help centre and the regulation text in September 2026. General information, not legal advice.