AI Use Policy

1. Purpose & Scope 

This policy establishes how [Client Name] will use artificial intelligence (AI) systems safely and responsibly. 
It applies to all employees, contractors, and third parties accessing systems or data. 

Systems covered include: generative AI, copilots, LLM chat tools, AI agents, model APIs, fine-tuned models, and any automation substantially guided by AI. 

2. Guiding Principles 

  1. AI as Outsourcing: Treat AI tools as external processors subject to third-party risk management. 

  2. Data Minimization by Default: Share only what is needed and redact sensitive information. 

  3. Process Readiness First: Update business processes before or with AI adoption. 

  4. Experiment with Guardrails: Encourage pilots in controlled sandboxes. 

  5. Human Judgment on High-Impact Outputs: Require structured review for decisions affecting people, money, or safety. 

  6. Strict Prohibited and Sensitive Use Controls: Ban harmful or regulated uses without explicit approval. 

3. AI Platforms and Approved Use 

AI use is permitted only through approved company-managed platforms and accounts. Use of free or consumer-grade AI tools (e.g., public chatbots or AI apps that may use inputs for model training) is strictly prohibited for any company or client data. 

  • Use only company-provided, enterprise-grade AI tools configured not to share or train on submitted data. 

  • Never input confidential, customer, or proprietary data into personal, public, or unapproved AI tools. 

  • Confirm that each approved tool provides: 

    • Data protection and encryption in transit and at rest. 

    • Explicit assurance that submitted content is not used for public or general model training. 

    • Vendor compliance with security and privacy standards (SOC 2, ISO 27001, or equivalent). 

  • Ensure all AI tool access uses company-managed identities and MFA. 

  • Log all AI interactions for traceability and auditability. 

 

For questions about encryption and other IT-related items, please speak with your vCIO at Advanced Data. 

Approved AI Tools and Ownership 

  • Approved AI Tools List: [Insert approved company AI platforms, e.g., OpenAI Enterprise ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Vertex AI, etc.] 

  • Tool Owner / Administrator: [Insert responsible department or role, e.g., IT Security or AI Program Manager.] 

4. Data Handling & Minimization 

Policy: Minimize, mask, or remove data before it reaches AI systems. 

  • Default deny for PII, PHI, PCI, authentication secrets, and confidential IP unless explicitly approved. 

  • Use automatic redaction or synthetic data for testing and training. 

  • Outputs must be classified and stored according to source data rules. 

  • Never paste credentials, private keys, or security configs into AI tools. 

5. Operational Readiness & Process Ownership 

AI is introduced only where a named process owner accepts responsibility for outcomes and maintenance. 

  • Each use case has documented purpose, data classes, risk assessment, metrics, rollback plan, and human checkpoints. 

  • Maintain living process documentation and review it regularly. 

6 Experimentation with Guardrails 

Policy: Encourage learning through controlled pilots; unauthorized “shadow AI” is not permitted. 

  • Conduct pilots in isolated or sandbox environments. 

  • Use de-identified or lowest-classification data. 

  • Require basic security and privacy review before start. 

  • Promote to production only after approval and documented success. 

7. Human Judgment & High-Impact Use 

Policy: AI outputs that could affect customers, finances, people, safety, or security must be reviewed by a qualified human. 

High-Impact Examples 

  • Customer communications, legal or HR decisions, financial transactions, security actions, and code deployments. 

Reviewer Checklist 

  • Verify facts and sources; check for hallucinations or bias. 

  • Evaluate alternatives and ethical considerations. 

  • Confirm security and privacy impacts. 

  • Record approver name, date, and final decision. 

8. Prohibited & Sensitive Use 

Prohibited 

  • Generating or facilitating illegal activity, fraud, self-harm, biological design, or unsafe medical/legal/financial advice. 

  • Use of unapproved or free AI tools for any company or client data. 

Sensitive (Pre-Approval Required) 

  • Employment and HR decisions. 

  • Medical or benefits determinations. 

  • Legal analysis or litigation strategy. 

  • M&A or other material non-public information. 

  • Safety-critical operations or infrastructure. 
    Approvals must come from the relevant domain owner (HR, Legal, Compliance, or Executive leadership). 

 

9. Training & Awareness 

  • Annual training on safe prompting, data minimization, and reporting procedures. 

    • CyberWatch customers can receive this directly as a part of their Security Awareness Training 

  • Quick-reference guides covering “what data can be shared,” “when human review is required,” and “how to request a pilot.” 

top
Simplifying IT
for a complex world.
Platform partnerships