EU AI Act, Article 4: what your company must now be able to prove
60 minutes of plain talk for management, IT, HR and data protection: who the AI-literacy obligation applies to, which measure counts as appropriate and how you document it.
60 minutes · online via Google Meet · date of your choice
For Management: clarify liability
Who is responsible in the company, and for what.
For HR & L&D: prove training
Which employees need to be trained.
For IT & Compliance: set up documentation
What you must be able to present in an audit.
Make the next decisions.
You’ll know what your company needs to do now.
Clarify if you’re affected
Is your company affected by Article 4?
Understand your obligations
What the EU AI Act specifically requires.
Documentation
Which records make sense.
Roadmap
Concrete next steps after 60 minutes.
What the responsible authorities say
The bodies named have not reviewed, endorsed or recommended Layer One’s offering. The guidance papers quoted serve as orientation and are not binding instructions.
Bundesnetzagentur · June 2025
KI-Kompetenzen nach Artikel 4 KI-Verordnung
„Anbieter und Betreiber von KI-Systemen einschließlich solcher mit allgemeinem Verwendungszweck, wie bspw. Chatbots, unabhängig von Wirtschaftszweig oder Organisationsgröße."
BeKI (BMDS) / BAköV (BMI) · 26 September 2025
Kompetenzaufbau gemäß Art. 4 AI Act, for the German federal administration
„Die Beachtung lediglich einer Gebrauchsanweisung des KI-Systems dürfte dabei regelmäßig nicht ausreichend sein."
Bundesnetzagentur
on documentation
„Daher empfiehlt die Bundesnetzagentur, dass Organisationen ihre Maßnahmen zur Sicherstellung von KI-Kompetenz gut dokumentieren."
What the 60 minutes cover
What Article 4 requires, and what it explicitly does not require.
Who has to be included: people who actually work with AI systems, including contractors and service providers.
Which formats qualify, from self-directed learning to workshops and multi-stage programmes.
What documentation looks like that holds up in an audit: type of measure, scope, people who took part.
What the planned Digital Omnibus is likely to change in the wording of Article 4, and what that means for your planning.
Your questions, answered live.
Why Layer One
Implementation partner, not a substitute for a law firm: we translate the requirement into measures that work in day-to-day operations.
Active in the digitalisation of mid-sized companies since 2021.
Every statement of substance is backed by a source and a date, and is updated when the law changes.
Julian Peer Freitag
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Layer One GmbH
Talks on AI in business practice, including at Zeppelin University and BSP Business & Law School.
How the session runs
60 minutes, starting on time, ending on time.
0 to 5 min · Context
What has applied since 2 February 2025, and what changes on 2 August 2026.
5 to 20 min · Who is affected
Who in your company is meant.
20 to 35 min · Appropriateness
Which measure fits which role.
35 to 45 min · Proof
What you should document.
45 to 60 min · Your questions
Answered live.
What you leave the briefing with
01
An assessment of which groups of people in your company are affected.
02
A yardstick for what makes a measure appropriate.
03
A structure for documenting your measures.
04
The implementation checklist as a roadmap, available live in the briefing only.
05
Answers to your specific questions.
No sales pitch. If you would like to work with us afterwards, we will tell you at the end how that works.
What Article 4 actually requires
For anyone who wants the detail.
Wording and scope
Article 4 of the AI Act requires providers and deployers to take measures so that their staff and other people dealing with AI systems on their behalf have a sufficient level of AI literacy. The provision has applied directly since 2 February 2025. From 2 August 2026 the supervisory and enforcement rules take effect.
Who has to be included
People who actually work with AI systems, your own staff as well as contractors and service providers involved in operating or using them on behalf of the organisation. Purely private access to AI tools does not trigger the obligation.
What is not required
Not required are a particular product, standardised training measures, external certifications, appointing an AI officer, or regular prior checks by supervisory authorities. Possible formats range from self-directed learning programmes and workshops through to multi-stage training programmes.
What documentation should contain
Type of measure, scope, the people who took part and the date. The aim is that the decision for the chosen measure remains plausible and comprehensible, including to auditors.
Planned change through the Digital Omnibus
According to the current state of the legislative process, the wording of Article 4 is to be softened: from “ensure” to “support”. A political agreement is in place and publication is targeted before 2 August 2026. The core remains: companies should do something appropriate and be able to prove it.
In short
Article 4 does not prescribe a particular training, but it does require an appropriate measure and proof of it. In 60 free minutes you will learn who it affects in your company, what counts as appropriate and how you document it.
Free · Several dates to choose from · 60 minutes · online via Google Meet.
Frequently asked questions
What does the briefing cost?
Nothing. It is free and comes with no obligation to buy.
Is it enough if our staff teach themselves?
Self-directed learning is a permitted format: both the Bundesnetzagentur and the federal guidance mention it explicitly. What matters is not the format but whether the measure fits the role and whether you can prove it if asked. Both are covered in the briefing.
Do we need a certificate?
A certificate is not required. What makes sense is a record of which measure was carried out, when and with which people.
Does this apply to us if we only use ChatGPT?
The obligation applies to providers and deployers of AI systems, explicitly including general-purpose ones, regardless of sector and company size. Anyone who works with such systems professionally has to be included. Purely private use is not enough.
Is this legal advice?
No. Layer One is not a legal adviser. We put things in context and show the practical implementation. Legal assessments in individual cases belong with your legal advisers.
Can I bring colleagues?
Yes. When booking you can add further people as guests; they receive the access link automatically.
What happens after I register?
You receive a confirmation straight away with a calendar entry and Google Meet link. You get a short reminder 24 hours before the session and another one hour before.
None of the dates work for me.
Write to us at hello@layer-one.io, we will arrange an individual date. There is no recording: the briefing takes place live only, so your questions get answered directly.
Do I have to switch my camera on?
No. You can listen and ask questions in the chat.
What happens to my data?
Your details are used solely to organise the briefing and to send the reminders. Details in the privacy policy.
SIGN UP NOW
Choose a date. The confirmation with calendar entry and Google Meet link arrives straight away.
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We use your details solely to organise the briefing and to send the reminders. No sharing with third parties; details in the privacy policy.
You can add further people as guests when booking, they receive the access link automatically.
Would you rather talk to us first? Write to us for an initial conversation.
Legal basis and sources
All statements of substance on this page rest on the publicly available documents below. Status: 28 July 2026.
Layer One is not a legal adviser. The content of this page does not replace legal advice in individual cases. None of the bodies named has reviewed, endorsed or recommended Layer One’s offering.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act), Article 4 (AI literacy). Retrieved on 28 July 2026.
Bundesnetzagentur
Bundesnetzagentur, „KI-Kompetenzen nach Artikel 4 KI-Verordnung", Hinweispapier, Juni 2025. The guidance serves orientation only and does not constitute binding instructions or interpretations. Retrieved on 28 July 2026.
BeKI / BAköV
BeKI (Bundesministerium für Digitales und Staatsmodernisierung) und BAköV (Bundesministerium des Innern), „Kompetenzaufbau gemäß Art. 4 AI Act (KI-VO), Hinweise für Grundlagen-Schulungen", Stand 26. September 2025. The paper is addressed to the German federal administration: the general remarks on Art. 4 and Art. 26 AI Act are transferable, the internal administrative rules and offerings are not. Retrieved on 28 July 2026.
IHK
Several German chambers of industry and commerce inform companies about the training obligation under Article 4 AI Act. Retrieved on 28 July 2026.
IHK Schleswig-Holstein · „AI-Act: Was Unternehmen jetzt wissen müssen"
IHK Köln · „Verpflichtung im AI-Act: KI-Kompetenz im Unternehmen"
IHK Hannover · „Verpflichtungen im AI-Act: KI-Kompetenzen im Unternehmen sichern"
Fachpublikationen
Springer Professional, „KI-Schulungen sind jetzt Pflicht", 17. Februar 2025, Johannes Marco Holz und Frederik Kopp. Retrieved on 28 July 2026.
TÜV Rheinland Consulting, „KI-Kompetenz nach Art. 4 EU AI Act: Was Unternehmen jetzt umsetzen müssen". Retrieved on 28 July 2026.