The use of AI solutions has exploded in recent years. According to McKinsey research, over 70% of organizations used some form of AI in 2024. However, as more people come into contact with AI, we also see negative consequences in terms of disinformation, phishing, and discrimination. For example, during the American election, people received calls from an AI voice of Joe Biden encouraging them not to vote (New York Times). That's why the EU introduced the AI Act of the European Commission. This law has recently come into effect and has implications for all organizations wanting to use AI. One of the key consequences is that employees working with AI are now required to be trained in AI.
What is the AI Act?
The AI Act is European Union legislation aimed at regulating the development and application of AI systems. The goal is to make AI safe, transparent, and ethically responsible. The law classifies AI systems based on risk levels: from minimal risk to unacceptable risk, and sets requirements for design, development, and implementation. AI applications involving biometric surveillance or social scoring systems, for example, are prohibited by default (with specific exceptions for police investigations). Article 4 of this law states that all employees working with AI must have sufficient knowledge of it. These are the so-called AI literacy requirements according to the AI Act.
What is AI Literacy?
AI literacy refers to the ability to understand, critically evaluate, and effectively use AI technologies. It includes basic knowledge about how AI works, its ethical and societal implications, and how to safely and consciously work with AI applications. Just as digital literacy is essential in today's society, AI literacy is becoming increasingly important in a world where AI solutions are an integral part of our daily life and work.
An example of why AI literacy is important can be found at online retailer Amazon. In 2018, this company used an algorithm for filtering CVs but received negative press because mainly male candidates were selected. This was due to the data the model was trained on, which consisted of CVs from Amazon's current employees, mostly men. If recruiters had been more aware of AI's dependence on historical data, they would have been more careful and avoided reputational damage. Incidentally, this application is now prohibited by the AI Act.
According to the AI Act, employees working with AI must gain knowledge of AI. This applies even to individuals using ChatGPT on their own initiative. Violations of the AI Act can result in fines as high as 35 million euros or 7% of annual turnover (Legalz).
What does this mean for your company?
It's important to ensure that your employees have a sufficient level of AI literacy. Here's how to implement this requirement:
- Inventory of AI systems: determine which AI systems are being used by whom. This might be more than you think, consider that colleague who uses ChatGPT.
- Determine the risk level: check under which risk level the AI application falls.
- Facilitate AI training: Depending on this, employees must complete a course that aligns with the required AI literacy for their role in the company.
- Conduct an audit: the final step is to conduct an internal audit to prepare for a potential external audit.
While the exact content of the training is not specified by the AI Act, there is certain content that is generally covered in training. This includes safely handling personal data, appropriate uses of AI, and awareness of AI limitations. It's important to provide customized training that takes context into account. An end-user of AI needs a lower level of knowledge than someone who implements AI solutions in the organization or someone who develops AI solutions. Finally, it's important to distinguish between different AI applications. The way someone uses AI determines which laws apply. Medical applications, for example, are much more strictly regulated.
Profound Vision provides customized courses where employees gain sufficient knowledge to use AI safely. A specific course module is fully dedicated to increasing your team's level of AI literacy. This is aligned with the AI Act, and with this course, you comply with the requirements set in Article 4 of this regulation. Upon completion of the course, participants receive an AI literacy certificate to validate their acquired competency.
