What is an AI tool register?Link to this section
A list of every AI tool your people use for work, with a decision on each: Approved, Approved with limits, Not approved or Decision pending. Your AI policy points to it for the tools people can use, and it's the record you show a client or your board when they ask which AI tools you use.
An example registerLink to this section
Three example rows. Your tools and decisions will differ.
| Tool | Decision | Owner | Types of information | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (Business) | Approved | [Name] | Published information, Internal work, Client or customer information | [Date] |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Approved with limits | [Name] | Published information, Internal work | [Date] |
| ChatGPT (Free) | Not approved | [Name] | None | [Date] |
What goes in each column?Link to this section
- Tool: the tool's name, as people know it.
- Plan: the plan or edition, such as Free or Business. Each plan has a row of its own, because each needs its own decision.
- Vendor: the company that makes it.
- Decision: Approved, Approved with limits, Not approved, or Decision pending.
- Limits: for a tool approved with limits, the limit, in a sentence people can apply to their own work.
- Use instead: for a tool that isn't approved, the approved tool people should use.
- Owner: the person answerable for the tool, its cost, how it's used and when it's reviewed. It needn't be whoever pays the invoice.
- Fine for: the work it's approved for, such as drafting, summarising or analysis.
- Types of information: the types of information it can be used with, such as Published information, Internal work, Client or customer information, Information about staff, Financial information or Health information.
- Monthly cost: what it costs a month, and how it's billed.
- Renewal date: when the agreement renews, so the decision comes before the bill.
- Next review: when you'll look at the decision again.
How do you fill it in?Link to this section
- Find out which AI tools people use. Ask everyone, not only IT: people often use tools nobody bought, on their own accounts.
- Add a row for each tool and plan.
- Name an owner for every tool.
- Record a decision on each one, with any limits in a sentence people can apply, and what to use instead of a tool that isn't approved.
- List the types of information each tool can be used with.
- Add the renewal date and a review date, and look at each decision again before the renewal.
- Tell your people what you've decided, and point your AI policy at the register. Our AI acceptable use policy template points to it in section 3.
What should you ask before approving a new tool?Link to this section
The spreadsheet's second sheet has these questions, with a column for each answer.
- What will people use it for, and what do they use for that today?
- Which types of information would go into it?
- Does the vendor use what people put in to train its models, and can that be switched off?
- Where is the information stored, and for how long?
- Who can see what people put in: the vendor's staff, other users, the rest of your organisation?
- Can it run on an organisation account, with people signing in through your organisation's accounts?
- What does it cost, how is it billed, and when does the agreement renew?
- Who will own it?
- What would show, in three or six months, that it's worth keeping?
- How would you stop using it, and get your information out?
Common questionsLink to this section
Is the template free?Link to this section
Yes. Download it, change it and use it inside your organisation.
What's the difference between an AI tool register and an AI policy?Link to this section
The policy says how people use AI. The register lists the tools and what you've decided about each, and the policy points to it for the tools people can use.
How do we find the AI tools people already use?Link to this section
Ask them. A short survey to everyone, about which AI tools they use and what for, finds tools no invoice shows, and it adds to whatever your IT team can already see. In The GAiGE, The AI State of Play does this, and takes each person under 10 minutes.
Who should own each tool?Link to this section
Someone who uses it, or manages the people who do, and who can answer for its cost and its review. It needn't be whoever pays the invoice.
How often should we review the register?Link to this section
Look at each tool before its renewal date, and go through the whole register at least every quarter, because AI tools change their features and terms often.
Does it open in Google Sheets or Numbers?Link to this section
Yes. Both open the .xlsx file, and the CSV opens in any spreadsheet.