There is no fixed amount to name for AI literacy, because the costs are linked to a number of choices that differ per organisation: how many employees work with AI systems, how much knowledge is already present, and whether you choose an internal approach or an external programme. The AI Act does require organisations that supply or use AI systems to ensure sufficient AI literacy among the staff working with them, but it does not prescribe a form or price.
What is often overlooked is that costs do not consist solely of a training invoice. There is also time involved: mapping who works with which AI systems, aligning the content to those roles, and documenting that the training has taken place. This last step is relevant for supervisors, even though no fixed form is prescribed.
What AI literacy actually entails
AI literacy is about the ability of employees to understand what an AI system does, what limitations it has, and what risks are associated with it within their role. This is different from general AI awareness training for the entire organisation; it is tailored to the people who actually work with a specific system, such as a chatbot, a recruitment filter or a scheduling tool. What exactly falls under it varies by role and by system, and is further explained in the knowledge base per situation. For those starting out here, you can use a few questions see where you stand in five questions before time is invested in a complete programme.
What determines the costs
The most important factor is scale: an office with five employees who occasionally use a text generator has a different task than an installation company where planning software with AI components is used daily by twenty people. A second factor is the starting level. Organisations that already work with privacy training or safety instructions can often reuse that structure; where that is lacking, a foundation must first be established. A third factor is the choice between developing it yourself, purchasing a ready-made external programme, or a combination of the two. Finally, how often the AI systems themselves change matters: a supplier that regularly adds features requires more frequent updated training than a system that remains unchanged for years.
Self-management or outsourcing
Part of the task can be done with internal resources, especially with a limited number of employees and simple applications: a brief instruction, a document with frequently asked questions, and a note of who has read it. With more complex systems, or when AI directly influences decisions about customers or staff, organisations more often choose to engage an external programme or adviser. This increases costs, but also provides more certainty that the content aligns with what the regulation aims for. Which route is appropriate is a trade-off that differs per company and for which a lawyer or adviser can best assess the specific situation.
What is often overlooked
Organisations regularly underestimate the costs of maintenance. AI literacy is not a one-time action: as soon as a supplier adapts a system, or as soon as new employees come in, the training must be given again or supplemented. This means that costs are better estimated as a recurring item than as a one-off expense. Recording itself also takes time: who received what and when, and on the basis of what content. Without that documentation, it is difficult to demonstrate afterwards that the obligation has been met.
Where you record this
Because AI literacy concerns multiple topics at the same time, from personnel policy to the systems you purchase, it helps not to treat this in isolation but in connection with the rest of your AI file. The knowledge base sets out per topic which steps belong to this and how the topics relate to each other. Anyone wishing to know what a subscription adds to keeping track of those obligations will find the options on the overview of what a subscription includes. For your specific situation, including the question of whether a particular function falls under the obligation, the supervisory authority or a lawyer remains the appropriate point of contact.
Would you like to get an impression of where your organisation stands before you start estimating costs? Do the free quick-scan or browse through the topics in the knowledge base; that takes half an hour and gives an initial direction without you having to make a choice straight away.