AI Literacy (Regulatory Definition)

The EU AI Act defines AI literacy as: skills, knowledge, and understanding that allow providers, deployers, and affected persons to make informed deployment of AI systems, and to gain awareness about opportunities, risks, and possible harms.

Article 4 requires organizations to ensure their staff have “a sufficient level of AI literacy,” making this an organizational compliance obligation, not just an individual development goal.

The definition is notable for what it includes:

• Skills (practical abilities to work with AI)
• Knowledge (understanding how AI works)
• Understanding (contextual judgment about appropriate use)

And for whom it applies to:

• Providers (those who build)
• Deployers (those who implement)
• Affected persons (those impacted by decisions)

This creates training and competency requirements across the AI value chain. Literacy is no longer optional professional development, it’s a regulatory mandate.

Related: 01-molecule—human-oversight-as-design-requirement, 05-atom—provider-deployer-distinction, 05-atom—automation-bias-regulatory-recognition