AI workshop for managing directors in the Austrian mid-market: no deferring the EU AI Act
The EU AI Act applies directly to Austrian companies: Art. 4 since February 2025, baseline obligations from 2 August 2026. The AI workshop makes managing directors decision-ready in 6 hours — before any budget flows into tools.
An AI workshop for managing directors in the Austrian mid-market makes sense when you want to introduce AI in a controlled, privacy-compliant and economically sound way instead of just trying things out: the PASSION4IT AI workshop clarifies your AI readiness in a 6-hour strategy session at a fixed price of EUR 3,900 net, develops a resilient AI strategy and creates binding AI guidelines — remotely via Microsoft Teams or as an in-house workshop on site.
The workshop is aimed at managing directors, COOs and team leads of Austrian companies who are seriously evaluating AI — and who, as EU companies, cannot sit out the obligations of the EU AI Act.
What you’ll take away:
- why the EU AI Act applies directly to Austrian companies — including the AI literacy obligation in Art. 4 (since February 2025),
- the three decision-maker questions the workshop answers before any tool budget is approved,
- how the 6-hour strategy session runs and which four outcomes it delivers,
- what the workshop costs (EUR 3,900 net, fixed price) and why Germany’s BAFA funding does not apply here,
- why shadow AI is the most immediate risk in Austrian companies, too.
What applies to Austrian companies in regulatory terms?
Austria is an EU member — the EU AI Act therefore applies directly, without any detour through national legislation. Two deadlines belong on every management team’s radar:
- Since February 2025: the AI literacy obligation (Art. 4). Anyone using AI in sales, marketing or service must be able to demonstrate that employees have sufficient AI literacy — with documented training and internal policies.
- From 2 August 2026: the baseline obligations for everyday AI use. These include the transparency obligation under Art. 50: AI-generated content and chatbots must be recognizable as such.
Add to that the GDPR, which applies in Austria anyway: when employees enter customer data into public AI tools, a real data-protection risk arises. Exactly this pattern — shadow AI via private accounts — is what we see most often in consulting practice, regardless of country.
Which three questions does the workshop answer?
The workshop is not a tool demo and not a prompting course, but decision groundwork. It answers the three questions that precede any AI investment:
Are we ready for AI at all? An honest assessment of data foundation, processes, skills and compliance — unvarnished, no sales folder.
Where do we sensibly start? Use cases prioritized by business value, not technical appeal. For companies on Microsoft 365, daily work in Teams is often the most tangible entry point.
What can go wrong — and how do we prevent it? Binding AI guidelines against shadow AI, GDPR violations and adoption failure, translated into practicable everyday rules.
How does the workshop run and what does it deliver?
The strategy session lasts 6 hours and follows four phases: AI readiness assessment, strategy development (optionally with LEGO Serious Play), creation of binding AI guidelines, and roadmap development with implementation planning.
The four outcomes:
- An individual AI readiness report covering the technical, organizational and legal starting position
- A company-specific AI strategy with prioritized use cases
- Binding AI guidelines for shadow-AI prevention — at the same time a building block for Art. 4 compliance
- A 3-phase implementation plan: preparation, enablement, execution
After the workshop your company does not automatically buy an AI product. You decide on the basis of facts, risks and expected impact — no slide decks, no tool sales.
What does the workshop cost for Austrian companies?
| Criterion | PASSION4IT AI workshop | Generic AI seminar | Internal effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | 6-hour strategy session, remote or on site | Half a day to several days, standard curriculum | Alongside day-to-day business |
| Price | EUR 3,900 net, fixed price | Variable, often per participant | Internal capacity |
| Relevance to your company | Your data, processes, risks, roadmap | Generic basics and tool demos | High, but without an outside view |
| Outcome | Readiness report, strategy, guidelines, roadmap | Certificate of attendance | Varies, rarely binding |
| EU AI Act relevance | Guidelines + training plan as compliance building blocks | Usually just an overview | Own research |
An honest note on funding: the BAFA subsidy that German companies use for consulting services applies only to companies based in Germany. Austrian funding programmes for digitalization and consulting services exist, but come with their own requirements — clarify eligibility with your funding body before commissioning. The fixed price of EUR 3,900 net applies regardless.
Workforce enablement after the workshop — including documented proof for Art. 4 — runs scalably through the PASSION4IT Academy with the AI driver’s licence, with no classroom time and therefore independent of location.
Conclusion: strategy before tools — in Austria, too
AI in the mid-market rarely fails on technology and almost always on missing preparation — in Linz just as in Landshut. The PASSION4IT AI workshop gives Austrian managing directors the decision basis in six hours: readiness, strategy, guidelines, roadmap. First the honest maturity check, then the prioritized roadmap, then guided implementation.
Book a no-obligation initial consultation — remotely via Teams, with no travel required, and we’ll clarify whether your company is ready.
Further resources
- AI readiness, strategy and implementation for the mid-market — the PASSION4IT AI service at a glance.
- AI workshop for managing directors in the Swiss mid-market — the counterpart for Swiss companies with a DSG focus.
- The compliance trap of 2 August 2026: EU AI Act baseline obligations — which obligations really take effect now.
- AI driver’s licence: EU AI Act Art. 4 mandatory training — meeting the literacy obligation with documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an AI workshop deliver for managing directors in Austria?
In 6 hours it delivers the decision basis before any AI investment: an honest AI readiness report, a prioritized AI strategy, binding AI guidelines and a 3-phase implementation plan — based on your company, not on generic examples.
Does the EU AI Act apply to Austrian companies?
Yes, directly — Austria is an EU member. The AI literacy obligation in Art. 4 has applied since February 2025; the baseline obligations for everyday AI use (including the transparency obligation under Art. 50) take effect on 2 August 2026.
What does the workshop cost and how is it delivered?
EUR 3,900 net fixed price for the 6-hour strategy session — remotely via Microsoft Teams with no travel, or as an in-house workshop on site.
Is there funding like BAFA for Austrian companies?
Germany’s BAFA subsidy applies only to companies based in Germany. Austria has its own funding programmes for digitalization and consulting services, each with its own requirements — clarify eligibility with the responsible funding body before commissioning.
How do I meet the AI literacy obligation under Art. 4?
With documented employee training. The workshop delivers guidelines and a training plan; the PASSION4IT Academy implements the enablement scalably — with the AI driver’s licence and a certificate as proof, location-independent and with no classroom time.
What is shadow AI, and does it affect Austrian companies too?
Shadow AI arises when employees use AI tools such as ChatGPT without approval and rules — often with confidential data via private accounts. The pattern is country-independent; the GDPR risks apply in Austria just the same. Binding guidelines before any tool rollout are the most effective countermeasure.