AI governance policy

An AI governance policy answers practical questions before they become incidents: which tools are approved, what customer or employee data may be entered into them, how AI is disclosed to customers, who owns each AI system, how results are reviewed, and how long records such as transcripts are kept. The NIST AI Risk Management Framework describes the functions a program should cover: govern, map, measure and manage.

Growing businesses need this earlier than they expect. Staff adopt AI tools on their own, a vendor's new feature starts recording meetings, and regulated data ends up somewhere nobody chose. A short policy that everyone understands prevents more problems than a long one nobody reads.

When you work with an advisor, ask for a policy sized to your business, mapped to the rules that already apply to you (HIPAA, GLBA, FERPA, PCI DSS, state privacy law), with an approval path for new tools and a review date. Ask vendors to show how their product supports the policy, not just that it is compliant.