AI literacy at work: bridging skills, policy and practice in Europe's digital transition
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms Europe’s labour market, aligning policy with practice has become a strategic imperative. In the latest Digital Skills Talks Series hosted by the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, the session “From Policy to Practice: AI Literacy and the Future Workforce” brought together two key voices: Giulia Carsaniga, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s EU AI Office, and Konstantinos Pouliakas, Skills and Work Expert at Cedefop.
The AI Revolution: futuristic approaches to AI literacy, data
Carsaniga offered a forward-looking view of the Commission’s approach to AI literacy, grounded in its AI Act and supported by initiatives like the AI Pact and a new repository of best practices and learning tools: “We want to make AI accessible—not just to coders or engineers, but to every citizen navigating the digital world. ”
Empowering people to understand and interact with AI systems responsibly, she argued, is essential to strengthening public trust and democracy.
Cedefop’s Pouliakas brought robust data to the table from the AI Skills survey – a follow-up module to the Agency’s second European Skills and Jobs Survey (ESJS2)—a pioneering study offering a comprehensive look at how many EU workers are using AI technologies as part of their job and how AI is reshaping jobs and training demands across the EU.
“The data shows that AI use is gaining ground in Europe and that it is more about redefining jobs rather than replacing them”, Pouliakas said.
According to the survey, around 1 in 3 European workers is already using or interacting with AI-enabled tools at their workplace. And even though 4 in 10 workers acknowledge the need to further develop their AI skillset, only about 15% have received any AI-related training. This gap is even wider for low- and middle-skilled workers, older workers and females, threatening to deepen inequality unless addressed through targeted, inclusive upskilling efforts.
More than skills: addressing emerging challenges around AI
What’s emerging is an “AI divide,” that is reinforcing pre-existing digital inequalities, with some Northern European countries and high-skilled professionals gaining ground while others risk being left behind. Pouliakas called for modernising vocational education and training (VET) systems to integrate AI-related skills into cross-sectoral curricula, combining technical, ethical, social and adaptive competences. Both speakers agreed:
"Preparing Europe’s workforce for AI isn’t just about boosting digital skills".
On the one hand, digital skills must become truly transversal - enhancing a broader mix of technological, business, and social competences. On the other, it’s about (re)-designing future-ready jobs, embedding learning in the flow of work, and ensuring that AI serves as a tool for empowerment, not exclusion.
With data in hand and policy moving forward, Europe’s real test now is turning ambition into action. The opportunity is huge: to lead globally in shaping an AI-powered future with high EU competitiveness that is anchored in human dignity, inclusion, and shared prosperity. But the cost of missing this moment would be equally great—widening inequalities, eroding trust in technology, and leaving too many behind in a fast-moving digital economy. The choices made today will define whether Europe’s AI revolution becomes a story of shared progress—or of growing divides.
About Cedefop
Cedefop is one of the EU’s decentralised agencies. Founded in 1975 and based in Greece since 1995, Cedefop supports the promotion, development and implementation of the Union policy in the field of vocational education and training (VET) as well as skills and qualifications policies by working together with the Commission, Member States and social partners. To this end, it enhances and disseminates knowledge, provides evidence and services for policy-making, including research-based conclusions, and facilitates knowledge sharing among and between EU and national actors.
About Konstantinos Pouliakas
Konstantinos Pouliakas is an Expert on Skills and Labour Markets at Cedefop. He leads Cedefop’s Skills and Work team and is principal research manager of its Digitalisation and Future of Work and Skill Mismatch projects. His proudest achievement is the development of two waves of the Cedefop European Skills and Jobs Survey.
© Cedefop
