Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer the wave of the future; it is the here and now. Wherever they are used—in finance, academia, publishing, or even screenwriting (one reason the Hollywood strike lasted as long as it did)—AI tools affect multiple aspects of business today. And this will only grow as the technology, use cases, and tools evolve.

Many organizations have started using AI tools already. One company I spoke with in the tech space uses AI to generate information for training materials. Rather than exclusively relying on expensive subject matter experts, the company turns to AI as an alternative. The technology has eased the hiring burden, helped generate useful content, and improved delivery times for many projects. Another organization uses AI for research, incorporating it into workflows as a standard check and balance and an additional data point to ensure accuracy. But before everyone dives in and starts using AI tools in their everyday workflow, it is important to have an internal policy that outlines what, when, how, and why AI should be used.

Forbes reports that 75 percent of surveyed companies that use AI have not yet developed an AI policy. Additionally, Forbes says that having a policy in place is only half the battle. A sound AI policy must dictate how employees will be trained on AI, what human oversight will be implemented, and prohibitions against using AI to broadcast false or harmful information. Consequences for breaching such policies must also be dictated.