Small-Business AI Policy Template
Written for a shop with five employees, not a legal department. Copy it, fill in your business name, and have your team read it. This is a starting point, not legal advice. Have a Maine attorney review it before you treat it as your policy.
Effective date: [date] | Applies to: all employees and contractors
1. Purpose
This policy sets ground rules for using AI tools at [Business Name]. We use AI to work faster and serve customers better. AI does not replace judgment, and no tool overrides this policy.
2. What you may use AI for
- Drafting and proofreading emails, estimates, and posts
- Summarizing long documents before you read them
- Organizing notes and checking your own work
- Drafting job descriptions and internal documents
- Anything your manager approves for the specific job
3. What you must never do
- Never paste customer personal information, payment details, health information, or anything confidential into a public AI tool.
- Never enter a client's full name with their address or phone number together in a public AI tool.
- Never use AI to write a final document that decides pricing, liability, or safety, unless a person reviews and approves it.
- Never put company or client data into a tool unless a manager confirms the tool is approved for that data.
- Never use AI to create content that could mislead a customer about price, availability, licensing, or warranties.
4. Customer data and privacy
Customer records belong to the customer and to this business, not to any AI tool. Before any tool touches customer data, a manager confirms where the data goes and how it is deleted. If you are not sure, ask before you paste.
5. Personal accounts and devices
Work data belongs in work tools. Do not run company or customer data through personal AI accounts on personal devices. If you use a personal tool for work, get approval first and use the business account where available.
6. Accuracy and review
AI can be confidently wrong. Anything AI drafts is a first pass. A person checks every AI-produced email, estimate, or post before it goes to a customer. If a tool is wrong, say so and we fix the workflow, not just the one message.
7. Reporting problems
If you see something risky, a mistake a tool made, or a suspicious email or link, tell a manager the same day. There is no punishment for reporting. There is no second chance for hiding it.
8. Violations
Breaking this policy can result in discipline up to and including termination, and may expose the business to legal liability. When in doubt, ask.
This template is published by Maine AI as a public resource. It is not legal advice. Have a Maine attorney review it for your business. Version 1.0, published [month year].
Pair the policy with real training
A policy nobody has read protects nothing. The AI Without the Hype workshop walks your team through the policy and the tools, in person.