Does my company really need an AI policy?

Yes, it’s more important than ever. Here’s how to get started

No one really knows how to deal with AI yet. But as the use of AI technologies works its way deeper into our business practices and as AI slowly enters the legislative arena, we’re looking at, AI Act, it’s critical to have a policy ready. It’s vital for your business practice, for your employees, for your customers and to be prepared for eventual ongoing compliance.

Ensuring that as AI advances, its use is ethical, controlled and helpful is what is propelling laws, discussions, and frameworks. It will go beyond data privacy, intellectual property and consumer rights into national and international regulations, crossing borders but necessitating understanding and adherence and a culture of responsibility. That is why a company AI policy needs to be able to function as a dynamic document that is prepared to change as the legal and cultural environment around AI evolves.

What is an AI policy?

An AI policy is a plan for your organisation’s approach to AI. it will outline how AI should be used in your organisation’s operations and what your organisation’s strategic approach is to AI. It makes sure that your company’s use of AI is responsible and aligns with its business goals.

How to create an AI policy

The basics

Clarify where the organisation uses AI tools and will it will use AI tools in its operations
Develop a list of approved AI tools
Establish boundaries for how your organisation can use AI
Stay ahead of the regulatory curve by keeping informed on local and regional laws and guidelines
Review your policy periodically to make sure it up-to-date with the ever-evolving AI landscape
Train your team to give them the necessary tools and resources. Make sure they learn what they need to know about how to use AI and its role in their work
Monitor AI systems and keep track of AI usage to ensure compliance with the organisation’s policy

Don’t forget to:

Ensure that AI tools align with organisational standards and mitigate security risks by approving all AI tools and making sure they are used in a secure manner.
Establish a framework that ensures the safe, ethical, and responsible use of AI within the organisation, including generative AI tools.

Make sure the content produced by generative AI within the organisation is reliable and accurate. You’ll need to mitigate potential misinformation and make sure the content aligns with the organisation’s standards of quality. Remember to review all AI-generated content before distribution or use.

Make sure that if your organisation is integrating AI into the company’s products or processes, that the AI tools align with the organisation’s aims and conform to industry best practices.

Get our Guide to the EU AI Act here.

How are you managing your GDPR compliance requirements?

GDPR added a significant compliance burden on DPOs and data processors. Data breaches must be reported to the authorities within 72 hours, each new data processing activity needs to be documented and Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) must be carried out for processing that is likely to result in a high risk to individuals. Penalties for breaching GDPR can reach into the tens of millions of Euros.

“In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.”