The AI Use Policy Starter

Your staff are already using AI. The question is whether anyone has decided which tools, and what they can put into them.

Most companies either have no AI policy at all, or one so long and legal that nobody reads it. Neither one stops customer data ending up in a free chatbot, or an AI-written answer going out unchecked.

This kit gives you a policy that fits on two pages and that people can follow, and helps you roll it out in a month.

What's in it

• The policy, as an editable Word file: nine short sections. They cover why you have it, who it covers, approved tools, what people can put into AI tools (a Green, Amber and Red traffic light), checking what comes out, being open, keeping people in charge of decisions about people, AI that takes action on its own, and what to do when something goes wrong. Every choice you need to make is highlighted, so you can fill it in quickly.
• An approved tools list and the short version: a table to keep current, a five-line summary for the handbook or the wall, and an optional acknowledgment.
• The guide (PDF): the six decisions to make before you write it and how to find out what's already happening. Then the policy in full, a four-week rollout, the questions to ask before you approve a new tool, the questions your people will ask (with answers that work), and a six-monthly review.

Who it's for

Owners, CEOs, HR and IT leaders at small and growing companies who know people are using AI at work and want simple, sensible rules before something goes wrong.

It builds on AI Readiness Isn't a Technology Question.

It's a starting point, not legal advice. If you handle regulated data, such as health, financial or children's data, have your policy checked against those rules.

You get two files: the policy in Word format (it also opens in Google Docs and Pages) and the 5-page PDF guide.