AI acceptable use for a small business
If you have employees, some of them are already using AI. That is fine. The risk is that everyone is using it differently, with no shared rules.
A one-page AI acceptable-use policy fixes most of that. Here is how to write one without a lawyer's budget. (This is education, not legal advice. Regulated businesses should get a professional review.)
Start with three questions
- Which AI tools are we okay with?
- What must never go into them?
- Who checks AI work before a customer sees it?
Answering those three gets you most of the way to a working policy.
Then add the rest
Disclosure. When do you tell customers AI was involved? Security. How do you handle a suspicious call or a request to change bank details? Training. Who learns the tools, and when? Mistakes. Who do people tell, and how do you make it safe to speak up?
Keep it to one page
Long policies do not get read. Write it in plain words. Post it where people work. Look at it again in a few months.
Use our template
We wrote a free, editable AI acceptable-use template. The full guide is on the AI acceptable use page. Pair it with our AI security guide.
A written policy is also one of the things we look at for the Ethical AI Stamp of Approval.
Monterey Bay AI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit teaching ethical, practical AI around Monterey Bay and online. Questions? info@montereybay.ai