Artificial Intelligence | eLearning
Why You Need To Be Competent, If You Want To Use AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer the realm of science fiction; it has already become an integral part of our daily lives and work environments. While the benefits of this new technology are often quickly evident, its shortcomings and risks are not always as easy to discern.
There's no doubt that AI has the potential to revolutionise our lives. However, this has not only a positive impact but also a negative one: what can serve as a powerful tool in the right hands may become a dangerous weapon in the wrong ones. It would be naive to assume that criminals and terrorists would not add AI to their toolkit and come up with new nefarious uses.
Even with good intentions, you can cause significant harm if you misuse or operate AI systems carelessly. A simple, unconsidered input (or prompt) can result in a reportable data breach or a compliance violation. To avoid such consequences, you need to understand how the AI system functions and where dangers might lie: What happens to your prompts? Do they disappear into a black box where no one can access them or do they become part of the training data that continuously improves the system? Is it possible for the provider on the other end to read your input text, and can you be sure they will use that information in your best interest? Are the system's outputs error-free, and is it guaranteed that they do not infringe on the rights of others?
Anyone who wishes to use AI systems securely should be able to answer these and similar questions. Organisations that permit the use of AI systems in the workplace must therefore ensure that all users are well versed in AI literacy. This is also stipulated by Article 4 of the European AI Regulation (also known as the AI Act):
Article 4 AI-VO: AI Competence
Providers and operators of AI systems shall take measures to ensure, to the best of their ability, that their staff and other individuals involved in the operation and use of AI systems on their behalf possess an adequate level of AI competence, considering their technical knowledge, experience, education and training, as well as the context in which the AI systems are to be deployed and the persons or groups of persons with whom the AI systems are to be used.
This makes it unequivocally clear that organisations may only let their employees use AI once they have been adequately trained. To prove this, we recommend documenting your training measures carefully. The training requirement outlined by the AI Regulation will become legally binding in all EU member states from the 2nd of February 2025. It is high time for European organisations to incorporate “AI competence” into their training programmes.
Looking for an easy way to fulfil your obligations under Article 4 AI-VO? We recommend the following course modules:
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