Building AI literacy for the EU AI Act and beyond

The EU Artificial Intelligence Act has arrived—and its impact will extend far beyond European borders. Much like how GDPR transformed global approaches to data privacy, this pioneering legislation establishes the world's first comprehensive legal framework for AI development and deployment, with potential fines reaching €35 million or 7% of global turnover for non-compliance.

A key component of the act is Article 4: a requirement for organizations to ensure "a sufficient level of AI literacy" among staff who operate or provide AI systems. This mandate took effect in February 2025, with enforcement beginning in August of this year.

For forward-thinking leaders, this presents both a compliance imperative and a strategic opportunity. Organizations that build comprehensive AI literacy now can both satisfy regulatory requirements and position themselves to harness AI's transformative potential (while managing its risks).

"AI literacy isn't just a compliance checkbox—it's a fundamental pillar of our overall AI governance framework, connected directly to our strategic priorities and validated at the highest levels of leadership," explains Emilie Sirvent-Hien , Responsible AI Program Manager at Orange.

In this issue of The Learning Curve, we'll explore practical strategies for navigating the EU AI Act and building the AI literacy your organization needs to thrive in this new regulatory landscape.

Missed last month’s edition? Revisit Mapping the world’s skills landscape, which featured findings from the Global Skills Report 2025.

EU AI Act Playbook: Building AI literacy for compliance and innovation

The EU AI Act establishes a risk-based framework that categorizes AI systems into four tiers—unacceptable, high, limited, and minimal risk—each with unique requirements that directly inform the level of AI training needed within an organization. But how should learning and business leaders respond?

Our new playbook offers a comprehensive framework for building organization-wide AI literacy based on discussions with leaders at organizations like Microsoft , Orange , and Schneider Electric . Here are a few key actions to consider:

1. Establish strong AI governance

"We've established a cross-functional structure with key teams working together," explains Jean-Côme Renaudin , Global Data & AI Academy Director, Schneider Electric. Creating cross-functional oversight structures that integrate AI literacy into your broader governance framework (with validation at the executive level) positions AI literacy as strategic rather than merely compliance-driven.

2. Conduct comprehensive needs and risk assessments

Map your AI ecosystem, identify which teams interact with AI systems, and systematically assess risk levels to determine where specialized training is most critical. "We approach AI skill assessment by categorizing our workforce needs into three distinct layers," shares Sirvent-Hien. “Foundational knowledge for everyone as part of our culture, specialized skills for those who use AI as a tool, and comprehensive expertise for employees moving into AI-focused roles.”

3. Maintain continuous learning 

"AI has evolved quickly, so there's an element here of greater emphasis on knowledge renewal," notes Christoffer Valenta , Director and Associate General Counsel for Consumer, Product at Coursera. Establish regular refresh cycles for training content, especially for high-risk AI systems, to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology and regulatory requirements.

➡️ Download the complete EU AI Act Playbook for the full list of best practices and detailed guidance on implementing them.

How Siemens built AI literacy at scale across 240,000 global employees

As organizations prepare for the EU AI Act and similar regulations worldwide, Siemens provides a powerful example of building AI literacy at enterprise scale. The multinational technology company—operating in 190 countries—needed to rapidly develop talent capabilities while maintaining the high-quality training standards they've long been known for.

"Essentially, we had to disrupt our own learning model to offer a learning solution to our entire workforce population," explains Lisa Lang, Head of Talent & Organization, Americas at Siemens. "That's where Coursera comes in."

Siemens faced a significant challenge: their traditional instructor-led training couldn't scale quickly enough to meet the accelerating demand for skill areas like AI, sustainability, and leadership. "The market is shifting fast, and so are the skills that the market demands," says Jenny Lin, Global Head of Learning & Growth at Siemens. "We didn't have access to the most up-to-date learning content that reflected the market and our business needs.

By integrating Coursera into their learning experience platform "My Learning World," Siemens created a scalable approach to several training areas, including AI literacy, that's already delivering impressive results:

• 35,000+ employees participated in their foundational GenAI learning module
• 229,420 learning hours logged by employees in the GenAI module
• 46% increase in learning hours on data analytics & AI in FY24 compared to FY23
• 88% license utilization rate, contributing to a 553% ROI on their Coursera investment
• 53% higher retention rate among team members who use the learning platform

"Coursera has been one of the main sources of learning recommendations we have curated for our people as part of our AI Essentials program. The 'GenAI for Everyone' and 'AI for Everyone' courses from Coursera are the top two courses consumed," notes Lin.

➡️ Speak with a Coursera representative to develop an AI literacy strategy tailored to your organization's needs.

The learning lowdown

What else you should know about skills development. 

🎧 Listen: "AI is reshaping industries and economies, and nations that invest in technology, policy, and talent will have the competitive edge," Ylli Bajraktari , CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project and former National Security Commission on AI leader, shares insights on global AI competition and why public-private collaboration is essential for maintaining technological leadership. Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts

📺 Watch: “What I'm excited about is GenAI opens the door for all of our employees to have access to tools to do their job more efficiently.” Hear from learning experts like Alison Klein , an IT leader at Dow, on successfully structuring GenAI initiatives—from securing executive alignment and measuring productivity impact to avoiding common training pitfalls and curating relevant skills through Coursera's GenAI Academy. Learn more

📃 Read: Coursera has been named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025 list, with TIME highlighting how the platform has become the go-to destination for AI upskilling as GenAI course enrollments surged to 3 million new enrollments. Learn more

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