An AI use policy tells your team how they can and can't use AI at work. A good one is specific, usable, and grounded in how your company actually uses AI — covering acceptable use, human oversight, disclosure, data handling, and vendor approval, with a clear owner for each area.
Most AI policies fail one of two ways: they're vague ("use AI responsibly") or they're copied boilerplate that ignores how the company really works. Here's how to write one people will actually follow.
Start from a real inventory, not a template
Before writing a word, know how AI is already used across the company — including shadow AI. A policy written against reality addresses the actual tools and workflows your team relies on; a template written in a vacuum gets ignored the moment it collides with how people work. Run an AI risk assessment first.
What an AI use policy should cover
A complete, usable policy addresses these areas:
Acceptable and prohibited use
Be concrete about what's fine (drafting, brainstorming, summarizing public info), what needs care (customer data, code, anything customer-facing), and what's off-limits (putting regulated or confidential data into consumer AI tools). Examples beat abstractions.
Human oversight
Define where a human must review AI output before it's used or published — especially for anything customer-facing, legal, financial, or high-stakes. AI assists; a person is accountable.
Disclosure
Specify when AI involvement must be disclosed — to customers, in content, or internally. This is increasingly both an ethical and regulatory expectation, and it's central to responsible AI in marketing.
Data handling
State clearly what data can and cannot be entered into AI tools, which tools are approved for which data classes, and how customer and confidential data are protected. This is where most real incidents happen.
Vendor and tool approval
Define how new AI tools get reviewed and approved before use, so adoption doesn't quietly reopen risks. Pair it with AI vendor risk assessment.
Make it usable, not exhaustive
The best policy is short enough to read and clear enough to apply. Write for your team in plain language, use concrete examples, and avoid legalese that no one will internalize. A two-page policy people follow beats a twenty-page policy they ignore.
Assign owners and a review cadence
Every policy area needs a named owner, and the whole policy needs a review date — AI and its regulation move fast, so a static policy goes stale within months. Build in a cadence to update it as tools and rules change, which is the heart of AI governance.
Roll it out like a change, not a memo
A policy only works if behavior changes. Pair it with brief training, make the approved-tools list easy to find, and give people a fast path to ask questions or request new tools — otherwise they'll route around it. If you'd like the policy built and fitted to your company, that's our AI compliance and policy assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What should an AI use policy include?
Acceptable and prohibited uses, human oversight requirements, disclosure rules, data handling (what data can go into which tools), and vendor/tool approval — each with a named owner and a review date.
How do you write an AI use policy that people follow?
Base it on a real inventory of how your team already uses AI, write it in plain language with concrete examples, keep it short and usable, assign owners, and roll it out with training and an easy path to request new tools.
Do small companies need an AI use policy?
Yes. Small teams adopt AI fastest and with the least oversight, so a clear, lightweight policy prevents the most common early mistakes without slowing anyone down.
Should the policy require disclosing AI use?
In many cases yes — disclosure of AI involvement to customers and in content is increasingly both an ethical and a regulatory expectation, and it should be specified rather than left to judgment.
How often should an AI use policy be updated?
Regularly — AI tools and regulation change fast, so a static policy goes stale within months. Set a review cadence and a named owner for each area to keep it current.