The four ACX levels: a practical guide to AI literacy

What are the four ACX levels?

ACX is my teaching map for four ways of working with AI: personal chats, connected work, AI helpers and AI-supported work across team members. As more tools and people become involved, you need clearer instructions, handoffs and human checks.

ACX grew out of my AI and communication research with Arbora. It is my practical synthesis: bringing ideas from that research together to help people make conscious choices about AI.

For AI literacy, the useful question is: what do I need to understand and check at this level?

The four levels at a glance

Level	What changes	Your human task
1 · Chat	You work directly with an AI tool.	Set the goal and check the answer.
2 · Connect	Work moves between tools and people.	Check what is passed on and name an owner.
3 · Guide	An AI helper takes several steps.	Set limits, review points and a way to stop.
4 · Coordinate	Team members work with AI together.	Agree roles, sharing and final decisions.

Before the tools: think, say, do and feel

A clear prompt starts before you type. You need to know what you want, what you know and what you are unsure about.

The Periodic Table of Conscious Communication helps us look at four parts of human communication:

• Think and understand: What is my goal? What evidence would change my mind?
• Say and write: Give AI clear instructions. Check its drafts for meaning and tone. Keep your own voice and show care for the reader.
• Do and communicate without words: Use AI to plan timing, pace and pauses. Choose when to speak, wait or follow up. Body language still matters when you meet people.
• Feel and intend: Conscious communication means conscious prompting. Notice what you feel and make your intent clear in each exchange with AI.

Working with AI agents can make us focus only on words. Yet the timing of a message, the space between replies and the pace of follow-ups also shape a conversation. Ask AI to help plan that rhythm, then choose what fits the people involved.

AI can help you explore a thought. It cannot tell you for certain what another person privately thinks or feels. Keep asking people rather than treating an AI guess as their answer.

Who is communicating with whom?

These four labels help us follow a piece of work. They describe connections, not four separate ACX levels.

H2S · Human to self

You reflect on your goal, feelings and assumptions. This is the thinking that prepares a prompt.

HAI · Human to AI

You send a request, read the response and ask follow-up questions. A prompt is the instruction you give the tool.

A2A · AI to AI

AI tools pass information or tasks between them. People still decide what they may share and how to check the result.

H2H · Human to human

You listen, explain, disagree and make decisions with other people. AI output may inform the conversation; it does not replace it.

See the original human-communication sketch

First gear

ACX level 1: learn to work with an AI chat

ACX 1

Ask and check

You ask an AI tool for help with one task. You stay close to every step: write, read, check and revise.

Example: you need to explain a delay to a client. First, write down what happened and what you want to achieve. Ask AI for a draft using made-up names. Check its facts, tone and promises before using any of it.

The connection starts with H2S: getting clear yourself. It moves to HAI when you send the prompt. When you speak with the client, H2H matters again.

Second gear

ACX level 2: connect work without losing context

ACX 2

Connect the steps

A draft now moves through several steps. A workflow is simply a linked set of tasks. Some steps may involve AI; others need a person.

Example: one tool turns approved meeting notes into a draft action list. Another checks the list against the notes. A colleague reviews it before anyone receives tasks.

This adds tool-to-tool and sometimes A2A exchanges. Watch the handoff: what was left out, changed or guessed? A neat summary can still miss the point.

Third gear

ACX level 3: guide an AI helper with clear limits

ACX 3

Guide the agent

An agent is an AI tool that can take several steps towards a goal. Your work shifts from writing every instruction to setting the task, limits and review points.

Example: an AI helper prepares a draft briefing from approved documents. It can suggest open questions, but a person checks the sources and decides what to share. Sending messages or making commitments needs separate permission.

The helper may work with other tools. That makes clear instructions and visible progress more useful, not less. A fluent answer is not proof that the tool understood your team.

Fourth gear

ACX level 4: work with AI across team members

ACX 4

Work across a team

Several people use AI in connected work. The challenge is keeping their goals, information and decisions clear to one another.

Example: a small team prepares a proposal. One person uses AI to review approved research. Another drafts the plan. A third checks what is being promised. They agree what they may share and who approves the final version.

H2S, HAI, A2A and H2H all matter here. Each person needs to understand their part and the handoffs. In our training, level 4 means working across team members within an organisation; it is not a promise to build AI systems for the whole organisation.

Try this: prepare one difficult conversation

Choose a low-risk example. Use made-up details, not confidential client or colleague information.

1. Think first. Write your goal in one sentence. Name one thing you do not know.
2. Ask AI. Give it the situation and ask for two ways to explain it.
3. Check the draft. Look for invented facts, missing context and promises you cannot keep.
4. Return to the person. Use the draft to prepare a real conversation. Listen to what they say.

Our Speech Lab adds another useful check. Its GreenBlueRed model helps you notice three communication behaviours:

• Green · Connect: “I want to understand what matters to you.”
• Blue · Explain: “Here is what changed in the plan.”
• Red · Agree on action: “Can we choose the next step together?”

These colours describe communication behaviours. They are not ACX levels or labels for people.

Where does the Satellite Scan fit?

The Satellite Scan gives you a personal communication dashboard, advanced communication prompts and practice materials, including coaching videos and worksheets. The prompts help you explore your own results and prepare for real conversations.

Use the ACX guide to connect that practice to your next learning step:

• Level 1: use a prompt to reflect on a communication pattern and check whether the response fits your experience.
• Level 2: decide what context to pass from your reflection into shared work, and what to keep private.
• Level 3: use those goals and limits when exploring an AI helper with guidance.
• Level 4: discuss team roles and checks rather than assuming everyone should share personal Scan results.

This is a way to use the resources alongside learning. The Scan does not include an installed agent system or the four-day coaching journey. Training and coaching are booked separately.

Explore the Satellite Scan and buying options →

Which AI literacy training fits your needs?

Discovery workshop: 3.5 hours, including a break, for 6–16 people. Map all four levels and leave with practical takeaways at levels 1–2 only.

Four-day coaching journey: part-time, hands-on coaching for 1–5 people. Practise levels 1–2 in depth, try level 3 with guidance and get an overview of level 4.

The aim is to build your judgement, confidence and communication skills while using AI. No course can make every answer reliable on your behalf.

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Common questions