AI Acceptable Use Policy Template
This template provides a structured starting point for organizations defining acceptable and prohibited uses of AI systems. Adapt the sections below to reflect your organization's risk tolerance, regulatory obligations, industry requirements, and operational context.
Policy Header (Template)
| Policy Title | Artificial Intelligence Acceptable Use Policy |
| Policy Owner | [AI Governance Committee / Chief Information Officer / Chief Technology Officer] |
| Effective Date | [Date] |
| Review Frequency | Annually, or upon material change in AI systems, regulations, or organizational risk profile. |
| Scope | All employees, contractors, and third parties who develop, deploy, procure, or use AI systems on behalf of the organization. |
Permitted Uses
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Productivity Assistance | Document drafting, summarization, translation, code generation with human review, meeting transcription. |
| Data Analysis | Statistical analysis, pattern recognition, forecasting, and reporting where outputs are validated by qualified personnel. |
| Customer Service | AI-assisted responses, chatbot interactions with clear AI disclosure, sentiment analysis of customer feedback. |
| Research and Development | Literature review assistance, hypothesis generation, experimental design support, prior art search. |
| Process Automation | Workflow routing, document classification, data extraction from structured and semi-structured sources. |
Prohibited Uses
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Deceptive Content | Generating deepfakes, synthetic media impersonating real individuals, or content designed to mislead without disclosure. |
| Unauthorized Surveillance | Using AI for employee monitoring beyond disclosed policies, biometric tracking without consent, or location tracking without legal basis. |
| Discriminatory Decision-Making | Using AI outputs as the sole basis for employment, lending, housing, insurance, or educational decisions without human review and legal compliance verification. |
| Sensitive Data Processing | Processing personal health information, financial records, or other regulated data through AI systems not approved for that data classification level. |
| Weapons and Harm | Developing or deploying AI systems designed to cause physical harm, develop weapons, or facilitate illegal activities. |
| Unauthorized Data Sharing | Submitting proprietary, confidential, or personal data to external AI services without data classification review and appropriate contractual protections. |
Approval Workflow
Use Case Registration
Submit the proposed AI use case to the AI governance team, including description, data involved, intended users, and expected outputs.
Risk Classification
The governance team classifies the use case by risk level (low, medium, high) based on data sensitivity, decision impact, and regulatory context.
Impact Assessment
For medium and high-risk use cases, complete an AI impact assessment covering bias, privacy, security, reliability, and regulatory compliance.
Technical Review
Security, privacy, and engineering teams review the proposed system architecture, data flows, access controls, and integration points.
Approval Decision
Approval authority issues decision: approved, approved with conditions, deferred for further review, or denied. All decisions are documented with rationale.
Ongoing Monitoring
Approved use cases are subject to periodic review, performance monitoring, and incident reporting requirements.
Incident Reporting
Any suspected misuse of AI systems, unexpected AI behavior, or AI-related incidents must be reported immediately through the organization's incident reporting channel. Reports should include: the AI system involved, a description of the incident, affected individuals or data, and any immediate actions taken.
Training Requirements
- All personnel must complete AI acceptable use training within 30 days of policy effective date or onboarding.
- Annual refresher training covering policy updates, new AI systems, and lessons learned from incidents.
- Role-specific training for AI developers, deployers, and procurement staff covering technical safeguards and vendor assessment.