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Policy template

AI Governance Policy Template for Business Teams

Use this AI governance policy template to define approved AI use cases, restricted data, human review, vendor approval, audit expectations, employee rules, and risk controls.

Updated 2026-06-24Policy templateBuyer enablement page
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1

Approved and restricted use

Employees need clear rules for when AI is allowed, reviewed, or blocked.

  • Define approved use cases such as drafting, summarization, coding support, research, analysis, and internal workflow assistance.
  • Restrict confidential data, regulated data, customer data, credentials, source code, legal advice, medical decisions, and high-impact automated decisions unless approved.
  • Require human review for outputs that affect customers, employees, financial records, legal obligations, or security actions.
2

Vendor and data rules

Governance must cover both employee tools and procured AI software.

  • Define who can approve new AI tools, model APIs, browser extensions, plugins, and workflow automations.
  • Require security questionnaire review for vendors handling sensitive data or production workflows.
  • State logging, audit, retention, export, and incident reporting expectations.
3

Operating model

A policy works only if owners update it as tools change.

  • Name policy owner, approval committee, exception path, training cadence, and review cycle.
  • Require teams to document use cases, risk level, vendor owner, data class, and review process.
  • Create a simple escalation path for unsafe outputs, data leakage, or vendor incidents.

Checklist

  • Approved, restricted, and prohibited AI uses are clearly separated.
  • Sensitive data rules are written in employee-friendly language.
  • Vendor approval and security review ownership are explicit.
  • Human review is required for high-impact outputs.
  • The policy includes incident reporting and exception handling.
  • The policy has a review date and named owner.

How to use this template

  1. 1Start with a short employee policy before writing a long governance manual.
  2. 2Map each AI use case to data class, risk level, owner, and review path.
  3. 3Use the security questionnaire for tools that leave low-risk personal productivity use.
  4. 4Review the policy quarterly as AI tools and regulations change.

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FAQ

Questions about this AI template

What should an AI governance policy include?

An AI governance policy should include approved uses, restricted data, prohibited actions, vendor approval rules, human review requirements, audit expectations, incident reporting, exception handling, and policy ownership.

Do small businesses need an AI policy?

Yes. A small business policy can be short, but it should still explain what data employees can put into AI tools, which tools are approved, and when human review is required.