A free AI Acceptable Use Policy template for UK businesses

This is a working policy template (version 1.1, September 2026), not a marketing document. Written for UK organisations of roughly 5 to 250 people, it includes:

• The golden rules on one page - the whole policy in a form staff will actually read
• Green, amber and red information rules - what can go into which tool, and what must never be entered (personal data, client-confidential material, credentials, unpublished financials)
• Approved tools and accounts - two options, for organisations that already provide business AI accounts and for those that do not
• Human review, openness about AI use and AI that can take actions - people stay accountable for output, agents and automations included
• Meeting notetakers, account security, records and intellectual property - the newer questions most policies still skip
• Shadow AI amnesty, incident reporting and breach handling - a safe route to disclose existing tool use and what to do when something goes wrong
• Document control, roles, review cycle and sign-off - ready to issue as a controlled document
• Four appendices - guidance by role, a tool approval checklist, the UK legal context as at September 2026, and key terms

UK businesses with 20-500 people where AI tools are already in use, formally or otherwise, and where leadership recognises the need for a written policy but has not yet drafted one. The template references UK GDPR and follows the governance pattern we see working in real SME deployments. It assumes pragmatism over perfection: your goal is to move from unmanaged to managed, not to ban productivity.

The template includes [square bracket] placeholders for your company name, policy owner, approved tools and other specifics. Fill these in, have your senior leadership and legal or compliance function review it, and publish it as a controlled document. The policy is most effective when paired with a Shadow AI amnesty announcement, giving staff a safe window to disclose existing tool use before the rules take effect.

If you need help tailoring the policy to your business, conducting a Shadow AI audit, or training staff to use AI tools safely, that is what our Advisory service does.