Is AI training for employees a legal requirement?
In the European Union, yes in part. Article 4 of the EU AI Act has applied since 2 February 2025 to organizations that provide or use AI systems. Since the Digital Omnibus on AI came into force in mid-July 2026, it requires them to take measures to support the development of AI literacy among their staff and others who operate AI on their behalf, rather than guarantee a specific level for each person. This page covers the EU rule only; for other jurisdictions and industries, check with counsel. Whatever the law says, keeping a record of who completed training is the usual way organizations show they took those measures. This page is general information, not legal advice.
What Article 4 says now.
Article 4 is the AI literacy provision of the EU AI Act. Providers and deployers of AI systems are to take measures to support the development of AI literacy among their staff and other people who operate AI on their behalf. No specific level of AI literacy is set for any individual. The European Commission and Member States are to support organizations, in particular SMEs.
Source: European Commission, AI literacy questions and answers.
Who it applies to.
Article 4 applies to organizations that provide or deploy AI systems covered by the Act, which can include organizations outside the EU whose AI is used in the EU. Whether it applies to you is a question for your counsel.
What taking measures can look like.
These are common practices, not legal requirements:
- Role-based training, so each group learns what is relevant to the AI tools it uses.
- A written workplace AI policy that people can read and follow.
- Completion records showing who finished which training, and when.
Where AI at Work fits.
AI at Work is a 49-minute employee course that ends in a 12-question quiz and a completion certificate. The buyer's seat page shows each employee's modules complete, quiz status and certificate status, with a CSV download, which gives you a completion record. Whether that is enough for your own obligations is a question for your counsel.
Common questions about AI training and the EU AI Act.
Start with where your organization stands.
Take the free AI Readiness Assessment, then work through the 90-day system one phase at a time.
Related resources.
AI at Work Employee Training →
The 49-minute course, quiz and completion certificate.
Workplace AI Policy →
How to write a policy that people actually follow.
How to Train Employees on AI →
A practical approach that does not slow everyone down.
NIST AI RMF Crosswalk →
How the NIST functions line up with a 90-day rollout.