Generative AI Policy Considerations for Your Company

Truly, technology rules many aspects of businesses – it’s become inevitable. Artificial Intelligence has taken the impact to a whole new level and now we are at a point where we can confidently say that every forward looking organization has already adopted or is planning to adopt AI technology The most widely deployed form of AI is generative AI – the AI that is capable of producing new data or content. 

However, like any technology that is used in organizations, generative AI tools need to have a clear policy that guides their usage. This is especially important considering that Artificial Intelligence is attracting a lot of ethical concerns, and no company would like to be on the wrong side of this emerging reality. Add to this the fact that as a technology, AI is evolving so fast, meaning that those who are equally fast in adopting it will realize maximum benefit. It’s not easy to use something that’s changing so fast without a policy.

Even so, the generative AI policy you create for your company ought to be based on key considerations that combine to give a sound policy. 

In the absence of a sound AI Policy, your company will be exposed to consequences such as data breaches which carry further consequences such as penalties and fines depending on the industry your organization operates in. All AI tools like chatbots which your staff or stakeholders use need to be subjected to a congruent AI policy to ensure data protection. Whether it’s finding answers to questions relating to customer support, research, or sales and marketing among many other applications of AI, you need to have some policy that guides this usage.

Let’s find out what this policy is about.

What is Generative AI Policy?

Generative AI Policy is a set of guidelines that govern the development, implementation, and use of Artificial Intelligence systems that have the ability to autonomously generate data or content.

The objective of these policies is to address these core implications across ethics, legal, and societal values. They seek to address issues like data privacy, security, intellectual property, misinformation, and bias, among many others.

The policy outlines important elements such as acceptable use and the set of activities that constitute unacceptable use. It directs the staff on what is expected of them when it comes to using Artificial Intelligence tools within the organization. It’s the company’s rule-book for the use of generative AI .

Also Read:  The Hows of Training Generative Models

Why is it important for companies to have a generative AI policy?

To understand the importance and necessity of  AI policy, especially generative AI since this is the most popular among organizations, it’s important to start by understanding what companies are creating with generative AI tools.

Here are some popular examples:

• Reports
• Email messages
• Job descriptions
• Translations
• Coding and debugging
• Organizing information  
• Data analysis

All these are great uses for generative Artificial Intelligence AI. However, some things need to be streamlined for the tools to work and serve the company with minimal risks. For example, for which purpose can these tools be used, and by who? Such questions are easily answered by the generative AI policy, and this makes it a very important tool. 

In coming up with this policy, you need to take certain considerations into account.

The Most Important Generative AI Policy Considerations for Your Company

By considerations, we mean the key aspects that the company should contemplate carefully when coming up with the Artificial Intelligence policies. 

Let’s look at the top ones and why each is critical.

1. Impact

Who will be impacted? For example, if some of the AI systems will be using data collected from customers, customers would want to know how the information is stored and managed by the organization. 

Another set of people that will be impacted are the company’s own staff. Because of this, they will need to understand the reasoning behind the policy. Why is it important that the policy be implemented and how will it affect their work? What are their responsibilities with regard to the use of AI within the organization? 

You want to make sure that everyone that is being impacted is aware of this policy as they go about their activities. 

2. Terms of use

Think about expectations. What behaviors are accepted and which behavior is not accepted? For example, are employees allowed to use the AI tools at their disposal for their personal activities?

Everything about how AI should be used needs to be considered under this item. Outline every tiny detail and ensure everyone understands what those terms mean.

The part of what is not allowed is especially important because some employees will be happy to look for loopholes so they can take advantage because they know they will get away with whatever that is not captured in the terms.

Also Read: How to Overcome Challenges in AI Adoption

3. Security

The thing about generative AI is that AI created content can be easily misused, and this can harm the company. So you want to ensure that the AI systems that the company uses are not only secure but also well aligned with privacy standards especially in your industry and other general standards. The standards can and do vary from industry to industry.

We understand that sometimes the security aspect  can be tricky to nail 100% for some organizations. For example, if you allow employees to use ChatGPT for certain functions, how do you ensure that company information is secure? How much information should they feed such tools? 

It’s best to establish a reliable feedback loop based on the outputs that the AI tools provide. This will help get hold of any potential security lapses that could lead to damaging risks.

4. Data handling guidelines

Clearly specify guidelines with regard to how data is handled within the company by employees and stakeholders alike. This is of utmost importance when the data at hand is personal information or the kind of data that is normally considered sensitive, for example financial information and health records.

The guidelines should also stretch to cover the handling of data during sourcing. Those who are responsible for sourcing data must handle it in a way that preserves or even enhances its quality. This way, the AI systems that rely on this data will have higher levels of accuracy and reliability, which is critical in Artificial Intelligence adoption. The end users want to be assured that the results they are getting are trustworthy and free of bias.

5. Interoperability with other policies

Obviously, most companies already have other policies in place. This means that the generative AI policy will simply be an addition to the rest of the policies that are already in action company-wide. You want to make sure that the generative AI policy works in harmony with the rest of the policies.

It’s important that the policy does not conflict with the others, especially those that are closely related to it. For example, the sections relating to data security and privacy will need detailed analysis and explanation to employees and stakeholders. This will ensure that they understand the key differences inherent in each.

Make sure that the AI policy links to the other policies for those sections that need the others for more in-depth understanding. For example, if you have a section in the AI policy that talks about privacy of personally identifiable information, and you already have detailed guidelines on this in another policy, you can simply put a link to that specific policy. In short, avoid siloing the AI policy, and instead go for a collaborative approach.

6. Dealing with violations

How will violations be reported and what happens when it’s reported that someone has violated the AI policy? The starting point is investigation, and the IT people need to be given the right tools that enable them to undertake both qualitative and quantitative investigations.

Another key consideration under this is the appropriation of powers to review. The IT staff, especially, need to be given privileges that allow them access to the AI tools as well as usage data. This should work in harmony with the other policies like HR, which also outline the staff code of conduct.

7. Ownership

Ultimately, the company owns the policy. But in operation, someone needs to be the owner in terms of custody, management and audit. Consider who will be responsible for the day to day management of the policy. This is the person that regulators deal with when they knock for audits. This is the person that independent auditors collaborate with as they perform their audits.

Artificial Intelligence is changing at a fast rate, almost on a monthly basis or even less. The ‘owner’ must be one who is on top of the industry trends, as this enables them to suggest adjustments to the policy in order to ensure that it reflects the current status.

For big companies, you may consider having a committee or a small team that collectively owns the policy. This makes it easy to manage as the large size of the company brings in complex AI issues that may overwhelm one individual. Some companies may want to set up full AI departments to achieve scale and speed. In such cases, the AI department then can own the generative AI policy.

Ownership considerations can also go beyond policy ownership to include ownership of the content generated by the AI tools. Be sure to outline this clearly in the policy.  

More considerations include:

• Training guidelines including materials and trainers
• Ethical use, ensuring the tools are not used to create inappropriate content
• Monitoring procedures
• Approval requests for use cases involving sensitive information
• Usage limits to avoid overuse
• Disclosure, ensuring transparency on AI use. For example the city of Boston’s Generative AI Policy requires responsible experimentation and disclosure for public facing AI generated content.
• Reporting, requiring employees to report whenever they use AI. For example, San Jose requires its employees to report the use of AI through an AI reporting form
• Adherence to local laws

Also Read: The Relationship Between Generative AI and Data Connections

Conclusion

As many companies are quickly finding out, AI is a completely new frontier. In fact, many experts have called it the brand new frontier – and we agree. But like anything good, its use must be within a framework that minimizes or completely takes out the bad while optimizing the good. This is what your generative AI policy should seek to achieve.

Whether you are using AI technologies like generative AI to power your knowledge base or create content for sales and marketing, among many other use cases, the quality of the AI policy will determine the value of the outcomes.

To get to this level and ensure that the outcomes are transformative, take these considerations into account when coming up with AI policies. Most importantly, tailor them so that they meet the unique setting of your company.