Set up an AI policy in a week

A one-week path to a one-page AI policy a 10–50 person business will actually read. This is a starting point, not legal advice.

Not legal, tax or accounting advice. Have your attorney review anything you adopt.

Copy the one-page template →

1. 1. List the tools already in use

   Ask two questions: which AI tools people use for work, and whether each one is a personal or company account. Nobody is in trouble. You want an accurate list.

   • Send the two questions to everyone this week.
   • Include free tools and anything on expense reports.
   • Paste the charges into the audit prompt if you have a card or expense export.

2. 2. Pick approved tools and business accounts

   Name the tools that are allowed for work. Move that work onto company accounts you can add and remove. Don't buy a seat for everyone. Start with the people already using AI.

   • Write the approved-tools line for the template.
   • Decide: personal accounts are no, limited, or not decided yet.
   • Stop reimbursing personal seats once a company login exists.

3. 3. Write the never-paste list

   Keep it short enough to remember: customer personal info, card numbers, Social Security or tax IDs, health info, HR records, passwords, confidential client files, and unreleased financials. Add anything specific to your work.

   • Read the default list on the template.
   • Add one or two extras if you need them. Don't write a novel.
   • Tell people to use roles and plain descriptions, not names.

4. 4. Say what a person checks before it goes out

   A person reads anything that goes to a customer, a vendor, or into the books. That checking time is part of the work, not a nice-to-have.

   • Name the kinds of output that need a person.
   • Name who checks them if it isn't 'whoever wrote it'.

5. 5. Decide how you tell customers

   The default on the template is simple: if a customer asks whether AI helped, tell them the truth. You can choose always, when asked, or not until you decide.

   • Pick one rule.
   • If you handle health, financial, or children's data, have your attorney look at this line.

6. 6. Set a rule for meeting recorders and notetakers

   Consent and recording rules vary by state. Decide your rule, then check it with your attorney. No page on this site is a guarantee.

   • Allowed if everyone on the call is told, internal meetings only, or not allowed.
   • Check what your Zoom, Meet, or Teams plan already includes before you buy a standalone tool.
   • Ask your attorney what applies on customer calls.

7. 7. Name an owner, hold the rollout meeting, set a review date

   One person owns the page. Walk the team through it in 15 minutes. Everyone acknowledges they've read it. Put the next review on the calendar (6 or 12 months).

   • Fill in owner, approver, and who answers questions.
   • Use the 15-minute agenda and acknowledgement sheet below.
   • Customize the template with the prompt if you want a version in your words.

Customize this AI policy →