Answer a few questions to see whether the AI literacy rule in Article 4 of the EU AI Act is likely to reach your organisation, what UK law expects when staff use AI, and what training each group of staff needs.
Updated for the July 2026 changes to Article 4. Every item links to its source. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
The EU's Digital Omnibus on AI rewrote Article 4 with effect from 27 July 2026. The duty stayed, but it no longer sets a required level.
Providers and deployers had to:
"take measures to ensure, to their best extent, a sufficient level of AI literacy"
Providers and deployers must:
"take measures to support the development of AI literacy"
The rule adds that it does not require anyone to guarantee a specific level of AI literacy for any individual. Read Article 4.
AI literacy means the skills, knowledge and understanding to use AI systems in an informed way and to be aware of their opportunities, risks and possible harm (Article 3(56)). It applies to your staff and to others using AI on your behalf, such as contractors.
The European Commission suggests these as the minimum to consider. They work just as well for UK organisations with no EU link.
What AI is, how it works, which AI your organisation uses, and its opportunities and dangers.
Whether you build AI systems (a provider) or use systems made by others (a deployer), or both.
What people need to know about each system, the risks to be aware of and how to reduce them.
Build on the first three, taking account of what each group already knows, where AI is used and who it affects.
No certificate is needed. The Commission says an internal record of training and other guidance is enough, which is exactly what an LMS gives you. Read the Commission's Q&A.
Not under UK law, which has no AI literacy duty. UK GDPR still applies when staff put personal data into AI tools, and the EU AI Act's AI literacy rule in Article 4 applies to UK organisations with an EU link, such as an EU office, AI products sold in the EU or AI output used in the EU.
It can. Article 2 covers providers placing AI systems on the EU market wherever they are based, deployers established in the EU, and providers and deployers outside the EU where the output of the AI system is used in the EU. The European Commission says this scope applies to Article 4 too.
No. Since 27 July 2026, Article 4 requires providers and deployers to take measures to support the development of AI literacy of their staff and others using AI on their behalf. It no longer requires a sufficient level, and it does not require any specific level for any individual.
No. The European Commission says there is no need for a certificate, and that organisations can keep an internal record of training and other guidance.
National market surveillance authorities in each EU country, from August 2026. Penalties come from national law and must be proportionate. The Commission says sanctions are more likely where an incident happened because of a lack of appropriate training and guidance.
Yes. The Commission's own example is a company whose staff use ChatGPT to write adverts or translate text, and it says those staff should be informed about specific risks such as hallucination.
Checked in October 2026 against the AI Act Service Desk's consolidated text (as amended on 27 July 2026), the European Commission, legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, the ICO, the NCSC and the FCA. This page is general information, not legal advice.
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