The knowledge and skills people need to use AI sensibly: understanding broadly what it can and cannot do, how it goes wrong, and when to trust or question what it produces. It is also a legal term, because the European Union’s AI law requires organisations that build or use AI systems to take measures to develop it among the staff who operate those systems on their behalf.
Technical view
Article 4 of the European Union’s AI Act, applicable from 2 February 2025, originally required providers and deployers to take measures to ensure, to their best extent, a sufficient level of AI literacy among staff and others operating systems on their behalf. The Digital Omnibus on AI, European Union Regulation 2026/1744, softened this to a duty to take measures to support its development, stated that no specific level must be guaranteed for any individual, and tasked the Commission and member states with supporting compliance. Suitable measures depend on technical knowledge, context of use and the people affected. Outside law, it overlaps with media literacy and debates about school curricula.
Related
Part of AI Terminology Index, section: Governance, Law and Regulation.