What is the AI literacy obligation under Article 4 of the AI Act?
Since February 2, 2025, Article 4 of the AI Act requires providers and deployers of AI systems to ensure sufficient AI literacy among their staff. This obligation concerns any organization using AI, including SMEs and local authorities. It is the direct legal foundation for AI acculturation.
Since February 2, 2025, Article 4 of Regulation EU 2024/1689 requires providers and deployers of AI systems to ensure that their personnel have a sufficient level of AI literacy. This obligation concerns any organization that develops or uses AI systems: businesses of all sizes, administrations, local authorities, associations. It is the direct legal foundation for AI acculturation, and one of the least known articles even though it is already applicable.
What Article 4 says
Providers and deployers of AI systems must take measures to ensure, to the extent possible, a sufficient level of AI literacy of their staff and of persons who use the systems on their behalf. This level must take into account the knowledge, experience, context of use and persons concerned.
What AI literacy covers
The regulation defines AI literacy as the skills, knowledge and understanding enabling informed deployment, as well as awareness of the opportunities, risks and possible harms. It is not about training engineers, but about making users capable of understanding what they are handling and measuring its limits.
Who is concerned
Any organization that deploys AI, even off-the-shelf, is concerned as a deployer. A SME using an AI assistant, a town hall adopting a sorting tool, an association using generative AI fall within the scope of the obligation.
Why it is strategic
This article transforms AI acculturation from a good practice into a legal obligation. It justifies that every organization trains its personnel, and it underpins the mission of actors like ICIA. For a citizen employee, it provides a concrete argument: if your position involves AI, your organization has an obligation to make you capable of mastering it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this obligation already applicable?
Yes, since February 2, 2025.
Is certified training required?
The text does not impose a specific format. It requires a sufficient level of proficiency adapted to the context.
Are small structures concerned?
Yes, as soon as they deploy AI, with a requirement proportionate to their situation.
ICIA Resource
ICIA offers MentivisOS ICIA, a free lifelong platform to learn AI with a personalized learning path.
Discover MentivisOS ICIA