AI Acceptable Use Policy Template
A ready-to-edit AI acceptable use policy covering the fifteen sections a workplace policy needs — approved tools, what data may go into them, who reviews output before it leaves, disclosure, intellectual property, and security.
Written for a mid-sized US company as a starting point. Fill in the placeholders, cut what does not apply, and have a lawyer read it.
- Scope that covers contractors and personal devices, not just employees on company laptops
- An approved-tools section with a real list, plus what to do about everything else
- Data rules that name the categories instead of saying "nothing sensitive"
- A human review clause that assigns accountability to a person
- Security clauses covering credentials, prompt injection, and agents that can take actions
- Meeting-recording consent language for AI notetakers
- Intellectual property clauses covering both what you may not own and whose rights you might infringe
- A self-reporting clause that does not punish people for owning up
- Owner and review-date fields at the bottom, so the document does not go stale unowned
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Not a mid-sized US company? Build one from your own answers instead — no email needed to read it.
Open the policy generatorWhat's in the template
Fifteen sections, five pages. Every one of them is explained — with sample clause language and the mistake companies make — on the AI policy template breakdown.
- 1.Purpose
- 2.Scope
- 3.Approved Tools
- 4.Permitted Use
- 5.Prohibited Use
- 6.Data Handling and Confidentiality
- 7.Human Review and Accountability
- 8.Disclosure and Transparency
- 9.Intellectual Property
- 10.Security
- 11.Regulatory Compliance
- 12.Requesting a New Tool
- 13.Training and Acknowledgement
- 14.Violations
- 15.Review of This Policy
This document is a template produced from a set of common policy clauses. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Laws differ by jurisdiction and change often. Have a qualified lawyer review this policy before you adopt it, and make sure it fits your actual contracts and regulatory obligations.
The policy is the easy half.
A document tells people what not to do. It doesn't make anyone good at the tools — and teams route around rules when they don't know a compliant way to do the task. The fastest way to make a policy stick is to make the safe path the fast path.
AI acceptable use policy questions
What is an AI acceptable use policy?+
A workplace document that sets the rules for using AI tools on company work: which tools are approved, what data may be entered into them, who is accountable for reviewing output before it goes out, where AI use must be disclosed, and what happens if the rules are broken. It is the AI-specific companion to a general acceptable use policy.
What is in this template?+
Fifteen sections: purpose, scope, approved tools, permitted use, prohibited use, data handling and confidentiality, human review and accountability, disclosure, intellectual property, security, regulatory compliance, requesting a new tool, training and acknowledgement, violations, and a review cadence with owner and date fields.
Can I edit it?+
Yes — it is written to be edited. Every placeholder is marked, and the approved-tools list and data rules are the two sections you should expect to rewrite for your company. If you would rather not edit at all, the generator builds a version from your answers instead.
Is this legal advice?+
No. It is a template assembled from clauses common to workplace AI policies, and it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Laws differ by jurisdiction and change quickly. Have a qualified lawyer review it before adopting it and check that it fits your customer contracts and regulatory obligations.
Does it cover the EU AI Act?+
The downloadable template is written for a US-based company. If you operate in the EU, use the generator instead and select the European Union — it adds clauses on high-risk AI uses, human oversight, record-keeping, the AI literacy obligation, and GDPR handling of personal data entered into AI tools.
How is this different from the policy generator?+
This is one fixed document, sensible for a mid-sized US company that allows internal data in mainstream AI tools and reviews anything customer-facing. The generator asks ten questions and assembles a different document for a regulated healthcare company than for a ten-person agency. If your situation is not the default, use the generator.