Framework · free to use

An AI usage policy your team will actually read.

Most AI policies are 14 pages of risk-team prose nobody reads. This is a one-page policy framework built for B2B companies between $5M and $50M — the kind that fits on a poster, gets adopted, and still covers the things that matter.

By Bill Colbert · Founder, Treetop Growth Strategy
Published May 2026 · More from the library
Use this template

Customize and ship in one afternoon

Copy the seven sections below into your own document. Replace the bracketed examples with your actual tools, owners, and data categories. Get the document under one page.

The single best predictor that an AI policy will be followed: it fits on one page. The second best: it names a specific human to ask when in doubt. Almost nothing else matters.

Section 1

Purpose & scope

Sample text: This policy covers how [Company] employees and contractors may use AI tools (including Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and similar) in the course of their work. It applies to anyone with a [Company] email address. Questions about anything not covered here go to [Name, Title].

Section 2

Approved tools

Section 3

Data classifications

CategoryExamplesOK in approved AI tools?
PublicMarketing copy, published content, public regulatory filingsYes
InternalProcess docs, internal memos, training materialYes, with approved tools only
ConfidentialCustomer data, contracts, financial detailYes, only in enterprise-tier tools with no-training settings confirmed
RegulatedPHI, payment card data, attorney-client privileged contentOnly via tools and configurations explicitly approved for that data class
Section 4

What you must do

Section 5

What you must not do

Section 6

When to escalate

Sample text: If you are unsure whether something fits this policy, ask [Name, Title] before doing it. There is no penalty for asking. There is a penalty for assuming.

Section 7

Review

Sample text: This policy is reviewed every 6 months by [Name] and [Name]. Material changes are communicated in the [weekly all-hands]. The current version always lives at [link].

Common additions

Optional sections by industry

Related

Related frameworks & reading

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