EU AI Act Article 4 AI Literacy Requirement

Article 4 is a binding obligation in Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the EU AI Act. In its original form, it required providers and deployers to take measures to ensure a sufficient level of AI literacy. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force from 27 July 2026, amended the provision. The current wording asks providers and deployers to take measures to support the development of AI literacy among their staff and other people who deal with operation and use on their behalf. Measures must take account of people’s technical knowledge, experience, education and training, the system’s use context, and the people or groups on whom it will be used. The amendment explicitly states that the obligation does not require a provider or deployer to guarantee any specific literacy level for any individual. This is not an exemption from taking measures: organisations should still identify who needs what understanding to use, oversee or support a system responsibly. Article 4 applies to providers and deployers, not only employers or high-risk systems. A provider develops or has a system developed and places it on the market or puts it into service under its name; a deployer uses a system under its authority, subject to the Act’s definition and exclusions. Article 4 applied from 2 February 2025 under the Act’s phased timetable. After the 2026 amendment, the Commission and Member States must support and facilitate compliance efforts, especially for SMEs, including by publishing practical examples on the single information platform. The law does not prescribe one standard course, exam, number of hours or certificate. A sensible programme is role-based and documented, but examples and recommendations should not be confused with a binding universal curriculum.