Free template · PDF
Free AI acceptable use policy template for Claude.
A ready-to-adapt AI acceptable use policy: what staff may enter into AI tools, what must never be entered, and the human review required before AI output is used.
Updated November 2026
The short answer
What is an AI acceptable use policy?
An AI acceptable use policy is a short document that tells employees which AI tools are approved, what data may and may not be entered into them, and how AI output must be checked before it is used. It is the document that stops shadow AI: people using unapproved tools with no rules.
Adapt the template to your tools, data classifications, and approval process, then have leadership approve it before any AI tool is used for work. Review it regularly, and whenever a new AI tool is introduced.
What’s inside
What does the template cover?
The policy has eleven sections and an employee acknowledgment:
- Purpose sets out how employees may and may not use AI tools for work, so staff can benefit from them while protecting company data, client data, and legal and regulatory obligations.
- Scope covers employees, contractors, and temporary staff, and any AI tool used for work, whether company-provided or personal, including AI features built into software the company already licenses.
- Definitions defines AI tool, approved AI tool, confidential information, regulated data, and personal data.
- Approved AI tools lists the tools staff may use, with approved uses, allowed data, and an owner for each. A tool is added only after review.
- Data that may be entered covers public information, internal non-confidential material, and your own original drafts, with a simple test: would you be comfortable if this text appeared in a public place?
- Data that must never be entered covers personal data, client confidential information, regulated data, company confidential information, credentials, source code and system details, and anything marked confidential. If unsure, treat it as prohibited.
- Using AI-generated output treats output as a draft: a person reviews it, facts and figures are verified, high-stakes decisions stay with people, and errors are corrected rather than forwarded.
- Prohibited uses rules out misleading or discriminatory content, circumventing security, infringing intellectual property, automated decisions about individuals without human review, and presenting AI content as an official position without approval.
- Training and accountability requires training before use, refresher training, and manager responsibility.
- Violations and reporting asks staff to report suspected breaches promptly and treats prompt reporting as responsible behavior.
- Policy review records the owner, approver, effective date, next review date, and version, and ends with an employee acknowledgment.
Next step
Want the editable version?
The governance kit includes the policy as an editable Word and Google Docs file, plus a committee charter, a risk assessment worksheet, a department readiness scorecard, and a 90-day adoption roadmap.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the template free?
Yes. The PDF downloads without a form. The editable Word version and four more templates are in the governance kit.
Can I edit it for my company?
The PDF is a ready-to-adapt template with bracketed placeholders. The editable Word and Google Docs versions are in the free governance kit.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a starting template. Have your leadership, and your counsel where appropriate, review and approve it before use.
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