AI literacy

The EU AI Act now requires that organisations ensure that employees and others engaging with AI on their behalf have an adequate level of AI literacy. AI literacy plays in important role in ensuring responsible AI use and reducing risk.

Article 4 of the Act states that:

“Providers and deployers of AI systems shall take measures to ensure, to their best extent, a sufficient level 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 and the context the AI systems are to be used in, and considering the persons or groups of persons on whom the AI systems are to be used.”

There are two key groups that this requirement applies to: providers and deployers.

They are defined in the Act as:

• Provider: “A natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body that develops an AI system or a general-purpose AI model or that has an AI system or a general-purpose AI model developed and places it on the market or puts the AI system into service under its own name or trademark, whether for payment or free of charge.”
• Deployer: “A natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body using an AI system under its authority except where the AI system is used in the course of a personal non-professional activity.”

Simply put:

• Provider: any individual or organisation who develops and/or makes AI systems available for others to use.
• Deployer: any individual or organisation who uses AI systems for professional activities.

It is important to be aware that this definition of provider also includes parties that have an AI model developed for them or who make a third-party AI system available under their own name. While most people will fall under the category of deployer, those who have outsourced development or partnered with another provider may be unaware that they also are considered providers even if they are not directly involved in development. Providers have more significant responsibilities and obligations under the Act.

What is AI literacy?

Article 3(56) defines AI literacy as:

“skills, knowledge and understanding that allow providers, deployers and affected persons, taking into account their respective rights and obligations in the context of this Regulation, to make an informed deployment of AI systems, as well as to gain awareness about the opportunities and risks of AI and possible harm it can cause.”

The purpose of the AI literacy requirement is to ensure providers, deployers and affected persons (those impacted by AI-assisted decisions) have the skills, knowledge, and understanding to make informed decisions regarding AI systems, including awareness of opportunities, risks, and potential harms.

AI literacy requirements

The AI literacy requirement of the Act is not prescriptive. Recital 20 of the Act acknowledges that AI Literacy is context specific and training requirements will vary depend on factors including:

• The role and responsibilities, technical knowledge, experience, education and training of staff and other relevant persons. For example:
  • Are they involved in making decisions around AI and in what capacity (compliance/governance/policy/procurement)?
  • Are they involved in building, maintaining or monitoring AI systems?
  • Are they using AI tools as part of their daily workflow?
  • How else are they engaging with AI?
• The context the AI systems are used in.
• The impact of AI on affected persons.

AI literacy can fall under two categories:

• Specific: Related to the AI systems used within the organisation.
• General: Being informed of the risks, opportunities, and potential harms of AI.

AI literacy framework

As there is no one-size-fits-all approach to AI literacy, we have developed an AI Literacy framework to help assess the AI literacy needs in your organisation. We have divided the framework into three levels: engaged, experienced and expert under six key areas:

1. AI Fundamentals & the EU AI Act
2. Data Governance
3. Critical Thinking
4. AI Ethics
5. Managing Risk
6. AI Strategy & Implementation

It is important to note that not all roles will need to achieve Experienced or Expert levels. The framework should be seen as a tool to help you identify relevant training requirements based on the specific context. As specific AI systems and tools will differ in every organisation, this framework is only intended to cover the general category of AI literacy. You can download the framework from our website.

AI literacy practices in other organisations

The European Commission have created a living repository of AI literacy practices which provides useful examples of how other organisations are approaching AI literacy. You can filter the resource by industry, organisation size, whether they are providers or deployers of AI, and more. You can access this resource here.

Additional resources on AI literacy

If you would like to learn more about AI literacy, the below resources provide useful insights and further detail on the topic:

• Chartered Accountants Ireland – Bite-sized on-demand CPD Sprint courses.
• Chartered Accountants Ireland – Six tips for building AI literacy in your organisation.
• International Association of Privacy Professionals – Understanding AI Literacy.
• International Association of Privacy Professionals – Assessing AI Literacy Needs.
• European Commission – AI Literacy - Questions & Answers.