Term · AI
AI literacy
AI literacy means knowing what AI can do, where it goes wrong and how to work with it responsibly. The EU AI Act asks businesses to take measures for this.
In short
AI literacy is the knowledge and skill to use AI responsibly: knowing how it works, what the risks are and how to judge the outcome. Article 4 of the EU AI Act asks organisations that build or use AI to take measures that support the AI literacy of their people. A certificate is not mandatory.
What is AI literacy?
AI literacy is knowing how to work with AI responsibly. You broadly understand how an AI tool arrives at an answer, you know the risks and you know how to judge the outcome.
Besides technology, it is about practical and ethical questions. Which data may you enter? When do you not trust an answer, for example with a hallucination? And what does a decision made with AI mean for the customer or employee it concerns?
What does the law require?
AI literacy is set out in Article 4 of the EU AI Act. That article has applied since 2 February 2025 to organisations that build or use AI systems. According to the European Commission, this also covers a business where employees use ChatGPT to write texts.
In July 2026, the article was amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744. It now states that organisations take measures to support the development of AI literacy among their people. You do not have to guarantee a certain level per person. It does remain an obligation to do something.
The law does not say exactly which measures. There is no mandatory course and no certificate. What fits depends on how your team uses AI and how great the risks are. According to the European Commission, national supervisory authorities will supervise this article from 2 August 2026.
How do you go about it?
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) describes an approach in four steps:
- Map it out. Which AI tools does your business use, by whom and for what? That overview is also called an AI register.
- Set the goal. What does each role need to know? Someone who uses AI for customer contact needs more knowledge than someone who occasionally has a text summarised.
- Carry it out. Explanation, practice and agreements, for example in an AI policy.
- Evaluate. Check regularly whether it works and adjust it.
Example in an SME
A made-up example
A business notices that employees are using AI tools on their own initiative. It first makes a list of those tools. Then everyone gets an explanation of what AI can do and where it goes wrong, and the team agrees which data must not go into an AI tool. The sales support team, which uses AI for customer emails, also practises with its own work.
I give in-company training in AI literacy, with clear rules for AI use. Read more about the AI training. What exactly you need to arrange as an employer, you can read in AI literacy is mandatory.
This is an explanation in plain language, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is a certificate for AI literacy mandatory?
No. The law does not require a certificate. Do record which measures you have taken, such as who attended a training and which agreements are in place.
Does AI literacy also apply to small businesses?
Yes. The article applies to every organisation that builds or uses AI systems, including SMEs. What you do may match the size of your business and the risks of your AI use.
What changed in July 2026?
Article 4 now requires measures that support AI literacy. You do not have to guarantee a certain level per person.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, European Commission: AI literacy Q&A and the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens): Getting started with AI literacy (in Dutch). Consulted on 7 October 2026.
Written by Bart van Engelenhoven Founder of Uniekaiconsultancy in Ede, the Netherlands. Bart analyses how SMEs work and builds software, integrations and AI applications himself. Last updated: 7 October 2026
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