From Awareness to Literacy
Knowledge Orientation in the Regulatory Environment of the GDPR and the AI Act
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47272/KIKPhD.2025.3.1Keywords:
GDPR awareness, AI literacy, AI Act, GDPR, Digital literacy, Data subjectAbstract
The comparative analysis of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Artificial Intelligence Act has become one of the most prominent topics in contemporary legal scholarship. This is due to several reasons, one of the most important being that the impact of both instruments extends far beyond the European Union, allowing them to function as de facto global standards. At the same time, both legislative texts are products of the digital age, and consequently their interpretation and the demonstration of compliant behaviour require specific competencies and prior knowledge.
This study analyses the concept of "AI literacy" as defined in the Artificial Intelligence Act, drawing on the notion of "data protection awareness" under the General Data Protection Regulation and on empirical findings from available research data, with a view to mapping potential risks and challenges. Digital literacy, awareness, and literacy more broadly are concepts without which compliant behaviour in the field of technology regulation cannot realistically be expected. Accordingly, experience gained under the GDPR provides important lessons for the development of AI literacy as well.
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