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[ Explainer · last reviewed 2 August 2026 ]

EU AI Act Article 4: the AI literacy obligation, explained

Short answer

Article 4 of the EU AI Act requires organisations that qualify as providers or deployers of AI systems to take measures supporting the development of AI literacy among the people who operate and use those systems, taking their role and context into account. Since Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 the duty is to take supporting measures, with no specific individual literacy level to be guaranteed. It applies to qualifying organisations of every size, no certificate is required, and no single generic course establishes compliance by itself.

What the law says

The amended Article 4 obliges providers and deployers of AI systems to take measures to support the development of AI literacy of their staff and other persons dealing with the operation and use of AI systems on their behalf, taking into account their technical knowledge, experience, education and training, the context the AI systems are to be used in, and the persons or groups of persons on whom the AI systems are to be used. "Deployer" is a defined legal role: an organisation using an AI system under its authority in a professional activity, which many organisations may qualify as.

Timeline

1 August 2024AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) enters into force.
2 February 2025Original Article 4 starts applying: measures to ensure, to their best extent, a sufficient level of AI literacy.
27 July 2026Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (the Digital Omnibus) enters into force and rewrites Article 4 into an obligation to take measures supporting AI literacy.
August 2026National supervision arrangements for these obligations apply.

What "measures" look like in practice

The law names no specific measure. Training can be one measure, and organisations typically combine several of the following, sized to their own assessment of staff, systems, and affected persons:

  • A general AI literacy baseline for everyone who touches AI at work (a course like this free one).
  • Tool-specific guidance: which AI tools are approved, for which data, with which settings.
  • Role-specific depth where stakes are higher (HR screening, customer-facing bots, engineering).
  • An AI use policy people can actually find, and a channel to ask questions.
  • A record of what was done: who completed which training and when, what guidance was issued.

What to document

The Commission does not prescribe any particular record, but keeping one is good practice because the duty is contextual: a short statement of who is in scope, what measures you chose and why they fit your systems and staff, plus a roster of completed training. Verifiable completion records (like the checkable PDF this site issues) are one easy way to keep that roster.

Frequently asked questions

Is AI literacy training mandatory under the EU AI Act?

Article 4 requires providers and deployers of AI systems to take measures supporting the development of AI literacy among the people who operate and use those systems. It is binding on qualifying organisations of every size, but it does not prescribe a specific training, format, or number of hours. Training courses are one widely used measure; they are not the only one.

Does Article 4 require a certificate?

No. The European Commission's AI literacy Q&A states that no certificate is required. Completion records are still useful as documentation of the measures an organisation has taken.

Does completing one course make my organisation compliant?

No. No generic course by itself establishes compliance; the Commission notes that even reproducing practices from its living repository does not automatically confer a presumption of compliance. Measures must be appropriate to your staff, your AI systems, and the people affected by them. A general course can be a useful baseline component; tool-specific and role-specific measures remain your organisation's responsibility.

Are small companies exempt?

No. Article 4 applies to providers and deployers regardless of size. What counts as appropriate measures scales with context, so a five-person company's measures can legitimately be much lighter than a bank's.

When did this start applying?

The original Article 4 applied from 2 February 2025. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 amended it with effect from 27 July 2026, and the AI Act's national supervision arrangements apply from August 2026.

What changed in the 2026 amendment?

The original text required organisations to take measures to ensure, to their best extent, a sufficient level of AI literacy. The amended text requires measures supporting the development of AI literacy, with an express statement that no specific individual level must be guaranteed. The duty was relaxed and reframed; it remains binding.

Sources

This page is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 2 August 2026; re-reviewed on regulatory change.

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