Template21 May 20267 min read

AI Policy Template for Employees: Safe Generative AI Use at Work

An employee AI policy should tell staff which AI tools are approved, what data they must not enter, when outputs need review, how to disclose AI use, and where to ask for approval.

The wording below is a practical structure, not legal advice. Adapt it to your tools, data, clients, and risk appetite.

Purpose And Scope

The policy should apply to public AI tools, enterprise AI tools, and AI features inside business software.

Plain-English wording:

This policy explains how staff may use AI tools at work. It applies to standalone AI tools and AI features built into business systems.

Make clear that staff remain responsible for their work even when AI assists with a task.

Approved And Prohibited Use

List the use cases staff can use without extra approval.

Examples:
- Drafting internal notes
- Summarising non-sensitive material
- Brainstorming low-risk ideas
- Improving grammar or structure

List restricted or prohibited uses.

Examples:
- Entering client confidential information into unapproved tools
- Uploading personal information without approval
- Using AI output as final advice without review
- Making decisions about customers, staff, applicants, or suppliers without governance approval

Data Handling Rules

This is the most important section for everyday staff behaviour.

The policy should say:
- Do not enter passwords, secrets, or credentials
- Do not enter client confidential information unless the tool and use case are approved
- Do not enter personal information unless privacy review has approved the use
- Do not upload contracts, financial records, employee records, or legal material without approval
- Check data classification before copying information into an AI tool

If staff are unsure, the default should be to stop and ask.

Human Review

AI output should not be treated as final by default.

Require review for:
- Customer-facing content
- Employee-facing decisions
- Legal, financial, or compliance material
- Security or privacy advice
- Material used in board, client, or regulator communications
- Outputs that could affect rights, interests, eligibility, pricing, service, employment, or complaints

The policy should make the human reviewer accountable for the final output.

Escalation And Records

Tell staff how to request a new use case, report an issue, or add a tool to the AI register.

Record:
- Tool requests
- Approved use cases
- Exceptions
- Incidents
- Review dates
- Policy updates

This turns the policy into a working governance control.

Sources

For implementation support, see AI policy development and generative AI governance.

Common questions

Can employees use AI to draft documents?

Usually yes, if the data is appropriate, the tool is approved for the use case, and the output is reviewed before use.

Can staff enter customer data into AI tools?

Only where the tool, contract, settings, purpose, and privacy position have been reviewed and approved.

Should AI-generated work be disclosed?

Disclosure depends on context. It matters more where AI affects people, decisions, advice, or trust.

Is a template enough?

A template helps, but it should be adapted to your tools, data, risks, and approval process.