Levels
Three levels. Five domains. One clear picture.
AI is moving fast and competency is not keeping up. The assessment reports where a person actually is against an internationally published progression, and what the gap between there and the next level consists of.
Acquire
Building foundational awareness of AI tools, their capabilities, and their limitations. Individuals at this level are developing the conceptual base needed for responsible and informed AI use.
What it means in practice. Someone at Acquire is not behind. They are at the start of a curve that most of their profession is also on, and the useful response is structured foundational training rather than being handed a tool and encouraged.
Deepen
Developing applied understanding, critical evaluation, and responsible integration of AI in professional practice. Individuals at this level are actively integrating AI with growing confidence and judgment.
What it means in practice. Deepen is where most working professionals who already use these tools will land. The development need is usually judgment under uncertainty rather than more tool coverage: knowing what to verify, and when a confident answer is wrong.
Create
Leading AI adoption, shaping policy and governance, and driving institutional competency at a systemic level. Individuals at this level are influencing how their organization understands and responds to AI.
What it means in practice. Create is an organizational role as much as a personal capability. People who place here are the ones worth putting in front of policy, procurement and the colleagues who are further back.
A level is a starting point, not a verdict
Three steps. Twenty-five minutes.
- 1Receive your access codeYour organization issues it. The code is bound to one sector track, so nobody has to choose the right instrument.
- 2Complete the assessment40 items and a short readiness checklist. Twenty to twenty-five minutes. No time limit, and no way to fail.
- 3Receive your resultsYour proficiency level and a breakdown across all five domains, on screen as soon as you finish.
Where the levels come from
The progression follows the UNESCO AI Competency Frameworks, which is why a result can be read against something published by somebody other than us.
Alignment to a published framework is not certification by the body that published it. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, UNESCO or any other framework author.
Common questions
Is a low level a bad result?
No. There is no passing score. The instrument establishes where somebody is and what to develop, which is a different job from certifying them. A workforce that places mostly at Acquire is a workforce with a clear and affordable training plan, which is more useful than not knowing.
Where do the three levels come from?
They follow the progression published in the UNESCO AI Competency Framework, so a result is reported against an external standard rather than against a scale we invented.
How is the level calculated?
From a composite of two components: behaviorally anchored self-report ratings across five domains, and scored scenario items. The scenario component carries the larger share of the composite, which is why this is not a self-assessment.
Are the level boundaries final?
They are provisional pending formal standard-setting, and we say so rather than implying a precision we have not yet earned. Every report carries the track version it was scored under, so results stay interpretable if boundaries are later refined.
Can two people at the same level have different profiles?
Yes, and this is the main reason the report is not just a level. Two people at Deepen can differ substantially across the five domains, and the domain breakdown is what a training plan is actually built from.
Sources
- UNESCO AI Competency Framework for TeachersUNESCO, September 2024. 15 competencies across five dimensions and three progression levels.
- UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial IntelligenceUNESCO, adopted November 2021 by all member states. The first global standard on AI ethics.
- AI Fluency FrameworkThe 4D framework: Delegation, Description, Discernment, Diligence. Developed by Anthropic with Rick Dakan and Joseph Feller.
- U.S. Department of Labor AI Literacy FrameworkEmployment and Training Administration. Five foundational content areas and seven delivery principles.