What it is

The Concept Paper is where ALiF was first described as a model: an account of what AI literacy means for professionals, organized into components and progression levels, with principles for adapting it to different roles. It is a theoretical document, not a set of requirements.

How it relates to the Standard

When the ALiF Standard was first released as v1.0, it consolidated its structure from three sources: Concept Paper v2, the Competency Framework v2 and supporting documents. The Standard is now the canonical, normative reference. Where the Concept Paper and the Standard differ, the Standard applies.

Status

The ecosystem inventory in the Architecture Document lists the Concept Paper as a Core document at version 2, published as a preprint and last reviewed in February 2026. Publication details are not reproduced here.

Who should read it

The Architecture Document recommends that researchers start with the Concept Paper and the Development Protocol: the first explains the theoretical model, the second the validation method. Policy makers and program leads will usually find the Standard and its companion guides more useful.

What comes next

Companion documents are being reissued as version 2.0 alongside ALiF 2.0. The structure of ALiF (five components, sixteen sub-competencies, three levels) is unchanged, so the core model described in the Concept Paper still holds. Further details of the reissued paper will be published when available.