Using Generative AI at Work Safely: A Security and Governance Checklist

Employees are already using generative AI tools — often personal accounts, often with company data. Banning them rarely works; people find workarounds. The better approach is to make safe use easy and unsafe use hard. This checklist covers the essentials.

1. Know what is being used

• Inventory the AI tools in use, including browser extensions and features built into existing SaaS
• Identify which teams use them and for what tasks
• Separate approved enterprise tools from personal accounts

2. Write a short, clear AI use policy

• Define which tools are approved, and for what
• Spell out what must never be entered: client data, personal data, credentials, source code, unreleased financials
• Require human review of AI output before it is sent to clients or used in decisions
• Keep it to one or two pages so people actually read it

3. Protect the data

• Prefer enterprise plans that do not train on your data and offer admin controls
• Check where data is processed and stored — this matters under the UAE PDPL and Saudi PDPL
• Use data loss prevention controls to flag sensitive data being pasted into AI tools
• Label sensitive information so people and tools can recognize it

4. Control access

• Use single sign-on and company accounts, not personal logins
• Apply least privilege to AI assistants that can read email, files, or internal systems
• Review connectors and plugins before enabling them

5. Assess AI vendors like any other supplier

• Review security certifications, data retention, and sub-processors
• Confirm contractual terms on data use and confidentiality
• Include AI vendors in your third-party risk process

6. Plan for AI-specific risks

• Prompt injection, where hidden instructions in content manipulate an AI tool
• Inaccurate or fabricated output presented confidently
• Over-permissioned AI agents taking actions they should not

7. Train people and keep monitoring

Short, practical training with real examples works better than long policy documents. Review usage periodically and update the policy as tools change.

CYVOXAI helps organizations put AI governance in place quickly — from AI use policies and data protection controls to LLM risk reviews for custom AI applications. Contact us to discuss secure AI adoption in your organization.