As part of Austria’s Digital Kompetenzoffensive (Digital Competence Offensive), the government launched Digital Überall Plus in 2025, a programme designed to deepen AI literacy among small and medium enterprises and elderly citizens. The initiative is backed by new funding of approximately EUR 350 million allocated for 2025–2027 through Austria’s Digital Decade Roadmap. The programme aims to ensure that groups at risk of being left behind by rapid AI adoption — small business owners and older residents who may not access AI tools through workplaces or educational institutions — have structured pathways to develop practical AI skills.
Who it affects: SME owners and employees not covered by large-employer training programmes, and elderly citizens who are among the populations least likely to encounter AI literacy through formal education or work. The programme is a publicly funded access initiative, making it relevant to closing the socioeconomic dimension of the AI knowledge gap.
What is notably missing: Digital Überall Plus targets specific underserved populations but does not constitute a universal entitlement to AI literacy. There is no binding requirement on employers of any size to train employees, and the programme does not set a minimum standard that participants must achieve. School-age AI education is not addressed; Austria lacks a mandatory AI literacy curriculum for primary or secondary schools. The programme is a funded access initiative, not a legally enforceable right to AI knowledge.