Propel · 4Responsible.AI Standard 1.0

AI Skills Taxonomy

The 4Responsible.AI taxonomy organizes the human capabilities required to work with AI responsibly — mapping each skill to the principles that govern it: Propel, Protect, Preserve, and Bound — and sequencing them along a progression from understanding to governance.

AI Skills Taxonomy infographic — human skills for responsible AI work, mapped to 4R principles
AI Skills Taxonomy — primary infographic. Creator credit: Carlton L. Robinson. SRC-4R-01

Skills by governing principle

Each skill belongs to the principle that governs it under 4Responsible.AI Standard 1.0:

4R PrincipleSkills governedFocus
PropelGenerative Learning · Prompt Craft · AI-Assisted Creation · Cognitive Lean LoopBuilding capability and velocity with AI as a co-worker
ProtectHuman Agency · Critical Evaluation · Delegation Judgment · PACEKeeping humans accountable and in command of decisions
PreserveHuman Skill Encoding · Atrophy Awareness · Deep-Practice Habits · Generative CoevolutionPreventing skill decay as AI takes over routine work
BoundResponsible-Use Knowledge · Agentic Delegation Process · PIAF · Human Coding / CODESetting limits, verification, and governance on AI use

Skill names align with the Standard 1.0 components in the 4Responsible.AI Knowledge Graph.

Skill progression

Skills deepen along a developmental arc — from literacy to governance — mirroring the Understand → Apply → Create progression of external AI-literacy frameworks:

LevelWhat the worker can doPrimary 4R principle
UnderstandExplain what AI can and cannot do; recognize risk, bias, and data sensitivityBound
ApplyUse AI tools productively with verification and delegation judgmentPropel / Protect
CreateDesign AI-assisted workflows, encode human skills, and coach othersPropel / Preserve
GovernSet delegation limits, measure atrophy risk, and steward coevolutionPreserve / Bound