Owner-Briefing-Deck

OUR APPROACH TO AI

A plain-English look at how we use AI, and what it means for you

[YOUR BUSINESS NAME]

Team Briefing | Small Business AI Toolkit

Why We're Talking About This

AI is already here: we just want to use it on purpose, not by accident

People are already using it

Most teams (ours included), already have someone using ChatGPT, Copilot, or similar tools to get work done faster. That's not a problem to fix. It's a reason to have one simple set of ground rules.

A few mistakes can cost a lot

Pasting a customer's private information into the wrong tool, or trusting an AI answer without checking it, can create real problems: legal, financial, or with a customer's trust.

Done right, it's a real advantage

Used well, AI can save hours a week on writing, research, and busywork: time you can put back into customers and growth.

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OUR ONE RULE

If it's private, it doesn't go into a public AI tool

“Before you paste anything into an AI tool, ask: would I be okay if this showed up somewhere public? If the answer is no: don't paste it.”

Customer names, contact info, payment or health details: keep out of free AI tools

Passwords, contracts, and anything marked confidential: keep out

General writing, brainstorming, and research: go ahead and use AI

Not sure? Ask [Owner/Manager]: it takes 30 seconds and saves a headache

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Tools We Use, and How to Add More

A short, known list beats a hundred unknown ones

Approved for general use

• [List your team's approved tools here: e.g., a business-plan chat assistant, a writing assistant]

• Use your work account/login, not a personal one, where available

• Business or Team plan settings (not the free consumer tier), whenever the tool offers one

Want to try a new tool?

1. Run it through the AI Tool Evaluation Checklist: five quick questions

2. If it touches customer, payment, or health data, get [Owner/Manager]'s OK first

3. If it's just for your own drafting/research, go ahead: just tell us what you're using

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What This Means for You, Day to Day

Four habits: that's the whole ask

Always double-check AI output

AI can sound confident and still be wrong. Read it, fact-check anything important, and don't send it straight to a customer untouched.

Keep private data out of free tools

Customer, payment, and health information stay out of public AI tools: see the one rule from a couple of slides back.

Say when AI helped

If AI drafted or shaped something a customer will see, a quick human review and a light edit go a long way.

Flag anything that feels off

Weird output, a tool asking for more access than it should, or a gut feeling something's wrong: tell [Owner/Manager]. No blame, just fix it.

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How We Decide on a New AI Tool

Three quick questions: no committee, no paperwork pile

1

Does it touch sensitive data?

Customer, payment, or health information involved? If not, most people can just go try it.

2

Does the vendor promise privacy in writing?

Check their terms: do they promise not to train their AI on your data, and to keep it private?

3

Get a quick OK, then go

A short check-in with [Owner/Manager]: then use it, and always double-check the output.

Full flowchart: Should We Use This AI Tool? Decision Tree

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PROTECTING OUR DATA & CUSTOMERS

A few basics keep us out of trouble

Use strong, unique passwords and turn on multi-factor authentication for any AI tool account

Don't connect an AI tool to your email, files, or calendar unless [Owner/Manager] has approved it

If you handle health, payment, or other regulated data, extra rules may apply: ask before assuming AI is fine to use

If a customer asks whether AI was involved, be honest: we have nothing to hide and a simple, honest answer

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Our First 90 Days

Small, steady steps, not a big-bang rollout

Days 1–30

Share this briefing, hand out the Simple AI Policy and Employee Guidelines, and confirm the tools we already use.

Days 31–60

Run the AI Tool Evaluation Checklist on anything new, tighten up account security, and start the Issue Log for anything that comes up.

Days 61–90

Check in as a team: what's working, what's saving time, what needs a second look, and adjust from there.

Full detail: 90-Day Owner Action Plan

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Questions?

Ask anytime: there's no such thing as a dumb AI question here

Toolkit on hand: Quick-Start Guide · Simple AI Policy · Decision Tree · Employee Guidelines

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