The EU AI Act - What the AI Act means at your desk - Foundation

Technology & AI - Regulatory compliance
This course gives everyone who uses, buys, or supports AI at work - office and operations staff, project and product coordinators, procurement and admin staff, and new managers - the practical awareness the EU AI Act now expects. You'll learn what the Act actually says and when it bites, which AI practices are banned outright, what the AI literacy duty asks of you, which uses count as high-risk, how the Act reaches UK suppliers and deployers, and which regulators enforce it in Malta.

By the end, you'll be able to explain in plain terms what the AI Act changed and why, recognise the Article 5 prohibited practices, describe the Article 4 AI literacy duty and how to evidence it, identify the Annex III high-risk use cases, explain how the Act reaches organisations outside the EU, and name the Maltese regulators that enforce it.

Also in the EU AI Act series:
→ Intermediate: Running high-risk AI without breaking the rules
→ Advanced: EU AI Act: Advanced Compliance Training

Access

Self-Paced Learning

Lessons

10 Lessons

Certification

Certificate of Completion

Price

€150
Learning Objectives
Course Benefits
Modules
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Explain in plain terms what the EU AI Act is, when its rules start to apply, and why it was introduced
  • Recognise the Article 5 prohibited AI practices and give real-world examples of each
  • Describe the Article 4 AI literacy duty and how an organisation can evidence that staff meet it
  • Identify the Annex III high-risk use cases and what obligations they trigger
  • Explain how the AI Act reaches UK suppliers and deployers placing AI on the EU market
  • Name the Maltese regulators - MDIA, IDPC, MFSA - and how AI Act enforcement lands in Malta
Benefits for the Organisation

• Reduce the most common AI Act failings - prohibited uses, undocumented systems, no human oversight, missing literacy records - before they become an incident or an enforcement notice
• Shorten the runway for every member of staff to spot an AI compliance risk and escalate it correctly
• Evidence completed AI Act training to regulators, auditors, insurers, and customers with timestamped records
• Standardise the language and escalation route the whole organisation uses, with no improvised handling of an AI compliance concern
• Save your compliance leads and managers the time spent rescuing missed risks and incomplete AI records

Benefits for Learners

• Recognise when an everyday use of AI at work is heading into prohibited or high-risk territory before it becomes a problem
• Build a reusable spot-and-escalate checklist you apply consistently to every AI tool and use case
• Handle an AI compliance concern with the confidence to record what you saw and escalate it to the right person
• Tell whether an AI system is high-risk under the Act correctly before you assume what is expected of you
• Pass the assessment knowing every answer traces to the EU AI Act, its annexes, or official regulator guidance, not a study guide

Lesson 1: Welcome and how this works

Lesson 2: What the AI Act says and when it bites

Start with what the EU AI Act actually is: the first comprehensive law on artificial intelligence. See what it changed, when each part starts to apply, how the risk-based approach works, and why a system built around bans, obligations, and oversight now governs AI placed on the EU market.

Lesson 3: The Article 5 prohibited practices?

Learn which AI practices Article 5 bans outright - such as social scoring, manipulative or deceptive AI, and certain biometric uses - and why each is prohibited. Work through real examples so you can recognise a banned use before it is deployed.

Lesson 4: The Article 4 AI literacy duty

Understand the Article 4 duty to ensure staff have a sufficient level of AI literacy, what that means in practice, and how an organisation evidences it. A worked example shows what good literacy records look like.

Lesson 5: Annex III high-risk use cases

Understand the Annex III high-risk use cases - areas like employment, education, and access to essential services - and what classifying a system as high-risk triggers. Compare a system in scope against one that is not, with a worked example.

Lesson 6: How the Act reaches UK suppliers and deployersLearn how the AI Act reaches organisations outside the EU - including UK suppliers and deployers - when their AI is placed on or used in the EU market. Work through who is caught and what they must do.

Lesson 7: Maltese regulators and enforcement

Learn how AI Act enforcement lands in Malta - the roles of MDIA, IDPC, and MFSA - how they coordinate, and what their powers mean for organisations operating here.

Lesson 8: Resources

Lesson 9: Final assessment

Lesson 10: Provide Feedback & Claim Certificate.

CORPORATE TRAINING

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Every organisation is different - and so are its learning needs.

Request a call back to talk through:


  • Your current onboarding or training challenges
  • Skills gaps across teams or roles
  • Compliance, wellbeing, or development priorities
  • How digital learning can support performance and retention
  • Special pricing options for multiple seats or team-wide access


We’ll help you explore practical, people-first solutions that fit your organisation.

Course FAQ's

Who is this course for?

Everyone who uses, buys, or supports AI at work - office and operations staff, project and product coordinators, procurement and admin staff, and new managers. It is also a useful refresher for experienced staff and a sound baseline before any role-specific AI governance training.

No prior knowledge of the EU AI Act or AI law is required.

Where and when can I take this course?

The course can be taken at any time and from any internet-connected device.

Do I need prior knowledge or experience?

This is a foundation-level course, and all concepts are explained in a clear, simple, and practical way. Learners, do not require any previous training or background knowledge.

Can this course be used for company-wide training?

Absolutely. This course is designed to be rolled out across the whole organisation, making it suitable for every member of staff who uses, buys, or supports AI at work.

Do I get a discount if I buy multiple seats for this course?

Yes. Please contact us and we will issue a quote according to your needs.

Will managers be able to track progress and completion?

Yes. Managers and administrators can track learner progress, completion rates, and assessment performance across the course.

This gives clear visibility on engagement and outcomes, making it easier to monitor participation, support staff where needed, and evidence completed AI Act training to regulators and your insurers.

Is this course part of a larger AI compliance programme?

Yes. This is Course 1 of the Auren EU AI Act bundle - the Foundation course, the awareness floor that everyone who uses or buys AI at work sits on. It is followed by Course 2 (Intermediate), for the teams running high-risk AI systems day to day, and Course 3 (Advanced), for the senior managers, DPOs, and leaders who carry the legal and personal liability.

All three courses in the bundle can be taken as stand-alone courses.