As a cybersecurity professional specializing in cybersecurity and AI, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of involving key stakeholders when implementing AI solutions. This guide highlights many essential steps to help ensure a smooth, secure, and compliant AI deployment in your organization.

1. Assemble Your AI Implementation Team

• Choose a person or team to lead AI implementation
• Include representatives from leadership, legal, and IT

2. Educate Your Team on AI Applications

• Watch the 7-minute educational video showcasing 23 Business Uses for Chatbots in 7 minutes
• Alternatively, schedule a “lunch and learn” webinar or workshop to explore practical AI uses

3. Collaborate and Brainstorm

• Discuss insights from the video/workshop
• Identify potential AI applications relevant to your business

4. Explore Multiple AI Tools

• Test various chatbots (e.g., Perplexity, Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini)
• Consider paid plans, privacy of sensitive information, and the ability to create custom chatbots
• The setting to make the model better for everyone means your data will be less private

5. Review Industry-Specific AI Tools

• Investigate AI solutions tailored to your industry
• Consult a curated list of AI tools for practical options

6. Consult with Your IT Team

• Discuss potential added support requirements
• Address concerns about job complexity
• Develop strategies to integrate AI without overburdening your IT team

7. Engage Your Legal Counsel

• Address privacy concerns
• Review automatic ingestion vs. uploading of data for different AI tools
• Analyze privacy and security policies of prospective AI solutions
• Consider internal data access and permissions per user or department
• Evaluate potential implications for mergers and acquisitions
• Consider that data from recordings of meetings will be discoverable during the due diligence phase

8. Assess User Access Control

• Discuss with IT about controlling access to AI tools
• Implement measures to manage access to AI on company networks and devices

9. Establish an AI Ethics Framework

• Develop guidelines for ethical AI use within your organization
• Address issues like bias, fairness, and transparency

10. Create a Data Governance Strategy

• Establish protocols for data handling, storage, and access in AI systems
• Ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA)

11. Implement Security Measures

• Work with IT to set up necessary security protocols for AI systems
• Consider encryption, access controls, and monitoring systems
• Utilize sensitivity labels and permissions to limit employee access by role, etc.
• Establish data retention time policies

12. Plan for Ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation

• Establish KPIs to measure the effectiveness and impact of AI implementation
• Set up regular review processes to assess and adjust AI usage

13. Develop a Crisis Management Plan

• Prepare for potential AI-related incidents or breaches
• Outline response procedures and communication strategies

14. Draft an AI Policy

• Based on input from IT and legal, create a comprehensive AI usage policy
• Define the scope and purpose of the AI policy
• List approved AI tools and outline acceptable use cases
• Establish guidelines for data handling and privacy compliance
• Specify required security measures for AI use
• Address ethical considerations like bias and fairness
• Clarify ownership of AI-generated content and intellectual property
• Outline required AI literacy training for employees
• Define monitoring procedures and consequences for policy violations
• Set criteria for selecting and evaluating AI vendors
• Provide a framework for responding to AI-related incidents
• Establish a schedule for reviewing and updating the policy

15. Conduct User Training

• Train employees on approved AI resources
• Educate staff about the new AI policy, including ethics and protecting sensitive information
• Encourage users to look at their daily tasks and see which tasks AI might streamline or improve in other ways

By following all these steps, you’ll be more prepared to deploy AI in your organization while addressing some essential security, legal, and operational concerns. Successful AI implementation is an ongoing process requiring continuous attention and adaptation. AI is here to stay; you want to be thoughtful sooner to avoid costly problems later.