Since February 2025, AI Act Article 4 applies: all providers and deployers of AI systems must ensure sufficient AI literacy among their staff.
This isn't a recommendation. It's an obligation that's already in effect.
What Article 4 requires
Article 4 of the AI Act states that providers and deployers shall take measures to ensure that their staff dealing with AI systems have a sufficient level of AI literacy — taking into account their technical knowledge, experience, education, and context.
In plain language: if your employees use AI tools in their work, they should understand what they're doing.
Why it's being ignored
Most SMBs treat AI literacy as a future item. "We'll deal with it when it becomes relevant." But it is relevant. It has been for over a year.
Three common reasons:
- "We're too small." Article 4 applies regardless of company size.
- "We only use ChatGPT." ChatGPT is an AI system. If employees use it in customer communication, decision-making, or documentation, they need to understand its limitations.
- "There's no enforcement." That's true — yet. But lacking AI literacy is a risk factor that can become relevant during supervision, audits, or customer complaints.
What AI literacy means in practice
AI literacy doesn't need to be a week-long course. It's about every role that uses AI understanding:
Basic level (everyone using AI tools):
- What the AI tool does and doesn't do.
- That AI can be wrong and fabricate information.
- What data is input and where it goes.
- When human review is required.
Advanced level (those building or configuring):
- How prompts affect output.
- How bias can arise and spread.
- Data protection issues when using AI.
- How incidents are reported.
Management level:
- Which AI systems the company uses.
- What risks they carry.
- What obligations apply.
- How AI use is documented.
A 60-minute walkthrough
You don't need to hire a training firm. Start with an internal session:
Agenda (60 min):
- Which AI tools do we use? (15 min) — Go through the register or list the tools together.
- What are we allowed to do with them? (15 min) — Clarify rules: what gets input, what gets reviewed, what goes external.
- Common mistakes (15 min) — Hallucinations, data input, over-reliance on AI answers.
- Questions and next steps (15 min) — Document decisions.
Save the material. That's your AI literacy documentation.
Document, don't just deliver
It's not enough to have the session. Document:
- Date and participants.
- Which AI systems were covered.
- Which rules were communicated.
- Which questions arose.
- Planned date for the next session.
If an authority, customer, or auditor asks "how do you ensure AI literacy?" you should be able to show a document — not refer to a conversation you had six months ago.
Next step
Book an hour with the team. Walk through which AI tools you use and which rules apply. Write down the results.
It's not complicated. But it's necessary — and it applies right now.