We can debate the future trajectory of AI all day, from which jobs it will replace to how it will affect our everyday lives. But despite any ups and downs, we can all agree that AI is going to be a very large part of all our lives forever.
For those of us within the technology industry, AI has crept steadily into our daily work over the last few years. Most of us find ourselves using tools like ChatGPT or other large language models to eliminate time-consuming admin work and to supercharge brainstorming — and many other use cases in between. In fact, Microsoft reports that three out of four global knowledge workers use AI tools, and that number has nearly doubled in just the last six months.
While many companies have wisely created AI policies that focus on the ethical use of data they collect from clients or customers, what’s often missed is a policy that governs the ways employees use AI tools for their daily work. In this post, we’re going to explore why companies need internal AI usage rules and how you can create them in your own organization.
Why you need internal AI usage rules
As AI tools launched, many tech and knowledge workers became early adopters, testing ways they could incorporate AI into their daily work to increase productivity and improve the quality and speed of their work. Knowledge workers naturally gravitated toward these tools and, while some organizations prohibited their use, many workers were allowed to experiment with very little oversight.
With a lack of oversight comes an increase in risk: risk for privacy and security issues if employees are using customer data with AI tools, risk for questions about who owns AI-generated content, and risk for ethics difficulties if customers aren’t aware AI tools are being used.
To mitigate those risks, companies ought to craft both external and internal AI policies governing how AI will be used by the company overall and by employees internally.
How to create internal AI usage rules
That brings us to a step-by-step process for creating AI usage rules. If your company doesn’t have employee guidelines for using AI, here’s where to start.
1. Determine current usage
Start by conducting an audit with company employees to find out how they are already using AI tools. Employees are key stakeholders in creating an AI usage policy, so you’ll want to find out their AI use cases. An anonymous survey might be the most effective way to glean this information, as employees might not fess up to all the ways they’re using AI if they think they’ll be penalized for taking perceived shortcuts.
2. Explore gaps that could be filled with AI tools
While you’re conducting your audit, consider how employees could be using AI tools to their advantage. For example, if you want to enable Wrike’s Work Intelligence® features for your employees for the first time, include guidance in your policy to reflect this use case.
3. Draft an AI usage policy
Your internal AI usage policy might include elements such as which AI tools are approved for internal use, or guidance for employees not to put client names into generative AI tools. Another element might suggest that information that isn’t readily found on a client’s website or LinkedIn account shouldn’t be input into a tool such as ChatGPT. Marketing companies might also want to include guidance on which documents employees can use generative AI to write so as to avoid plagiarism issues.
4. Get a legal review of your new policy
Once your policy has been written, send it to your legal department for review to make sure it covers all bases and keeps your company in the clear.
5. Communicate your policy clearly
When your policy has been approved, make sure all employees are aware of and understand the internal AI usage rules so they can effectively put them into practice.
Who should create an internal AI usage policy?
The impetus for creating an internal AI usage policy could come from a range of origins, such as the legal department, the IT department, or the HR team. The company can also appoint a team to take the above-outlined steps to create an AI usage policy. They can attend meetings to complete the initial assessment and policy, and then meet to update it as the AI landscape changes.
Unlike other internal policies, your internal AI usage policy should be a work in progress because the AI industry is constantly evolving and new tools hit the market all the time. Set a schedule to check back monthly or quarterly to make sure your policy still reflects the way your teams use AI and the use cases covered, and make any necessary updates. This policy should be a living document that you adjust and then communicate to all employees.
Tap into the power of Wrike AI
At Wrike, we’re constantly evolving as well, adding new AI functionalities to our platform to enhance the power of our 20,000 global customers’ business processes. We know firsthand that AI can seem like uncharted territory, so we aim to be transparent about how we use AI to operate across our platform and how it can significantly influence our customers’ workflows.
Our vision is to use AI-accelerated solutions to simplify complex workflows, save workers time, and make room for the work that matters most.
Wrike’s AI allows you to generate briefs, plans, and brainstormed ideas effortlessly with our content creation feature. You can transform your content in seconds with AI content editing, ensuring organization-wide consistency. And you can ask AI to check for mistakes, change the tone, summarize long discussions, and even translate into other languages.
Wrike’s AI features are a game changer for time-pressed workers, and a safe and secure way to incorporate AI tools into everyday work — with you in the driver’s seat. Are you ready? Start your free trial today.
