Governance

Human capital

Education, reskilling and lifelong learning for AI readiness.

How the laws define this

Both instruments define human capital around the continuous development of workforce skills, emphasizing lifelong learning as a core mechanism for building expertise. However, they diverge in their scope, target groups, and specific technical focus. Finland’s Age of Artificial Intelligence concentrates specifically on workforce capabilities necessary to develop and use artificial intelligence, targeting top-level expertise, university curriculum adaptation, and the attraction of international talent. In contrast, Strategy and Action Plan to Improve Slovakia's Position in the DESI Index to 2025 adopts a broader focus on general digital competences spanning the entire population as well as a specialist workforce. Rather than prioritizing international recruitment or AI development, the Slovakian framework emphasizes STEM education, vocational training, capacity building for public servants, and targeted digital literacy initiatives for specific demographic groups, including seniors and low-income populations.

Synthesised from the 2 statutory definitions below. Each one is quoted in full, with its source.

How jurisdictions differ

What is distinctive in each definition, binding law in force first.

Jurisdiction	Instrument	Status	What is distinctive
Finland	Finland’s Age of Artificial Intelligence	Adopted	Adds attraction of international talent, adaptation of university curricula, and securing top-level expertise to scale reskilling and lifelong learning for AI workforce development.
Slovakia	Strategy and Action Plan to Improve Slovakia's Position in the DESI Index to 2025	Adopted	Widens to general digital competences across population and public servants, including STEM education, digital literacy for vulnerable groups, and vocational training, not just AI-specific.

Definitions (2)

Encompasses measures to secure top-level expertise, scale reskilling and lifelong-learning programmes, adapt university curricula, and attract international talent to ensure the workforce can effectively develop and use AI.

Finland’s Age of Artificial IntelligenceDefinition 1 of 2

Refers to digital competences across the population and specialist workforce, covering STEM education, vocational and lifelong learning, targeted digital literacy schemes (e.g., for seniors and low-income groups) and capacity building for public servants.

Strategy and Action Plan to Improve Slovakia's Position in the DESI Index to 2025Definition 2 of 2

Not to be confused with

AI talent

AI talent refers specifically to individuals with applied AI and ML competencies, while human capital encompasses broader measures like education and reskilling programs to develop such talent.

upskilling

Upskilling focuses on capacity-building and training to develop AI skills, whereas human capital includes wider measures like attracting talent and adapting curricula.

Questions and answers

What measures does Finland's AI strategy include under human capital?

It encompasses securing top-level expertise, scaling reskilling and lifelong-learning programmes, adapting university curricula, and attracting international talent. This ensures the workforce can develop and use AI effectively.

How does Slovakia define human capital in its DESI strategy?

It refers to digital competences across the population and specialist workforce. This covers STEM education, vocational and lifelong learning, targeted digital literacy schemes for seniors and low-income groups, and capacity building for public servants.

How do human capital definitions differ between Finland and Slovakia?

Finland focuses on AI-specific workforce measures like expertise attraction and university adaptation. Slovakia broadens to general digital competences including literacy for vulnerable groups and public servants.