16/10/2026
An AI acceptable-use policy should not feel like a legal document nobody opens.
When I help organisations put one in place, I keep it short enough to read and practical enough to use. It should answer four questions:
1) Which AI tools are approved?
2) What data must never be entered?
3) Which tasks require human review, especially decisions affecting customers, employees, finances or safety?
4) How should people report a mistake, concern or suspected data exposure?
That is usually more useful than 40 pages of dense compliance language.
A good policy gives people confidence to use AI productively while making the boundaries clear. It should sit alongside simple training, approved tools and an easy route for questions: not in a folder nobody visits.
My rule: if employees cannot explain the policy in a couple of minutes, it probably needs simplifying.
Would your team know what they can and cannot do with AI today? A short governance review can help identify the gaps.