Check your employer’s current AI policy or approved-tools list, then verify the exact service and account, the work you plan to do, and the information you would enter. An AI tool may be allowed for one task or data type but not another. If your employer’s rules do not clearly cover your situation, ask the responsible internal contact before sharing work information.
1. Find your employer’s current rules
Look on your company intranet, in its software catalog, or in its acceptable-use, security, procurement, or AI-governance guidance. Look for both an approved-tools register and any conditions attached to it, such as permitted tasks, account requirements, or data restrictions.
A tool being available on a work device—or a colleague using it—does not establish that your employer has approved it for your use. Public-sector policies are useful examples of how organizations set rules, but they do not authorize use at another employer.
2. Check the exact service and account
Confirm the product or service name, edition, account type, and whether the account is managed by your organization. Check whether the approval covers the features you intend to use, including connected apps or integrations that can access company files or other information. Permission to use a service through a company-managed account does not automatically extend to a personal or free account.
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Approval may also depend on terms of service and authorization for official use. For example, the U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual says personnel may not create AI-service accounts in an official capacity unless the terms have been approved by the Office of the Legal Adviser and the service is authorized for official use by appropriate policy components. This is a Department-specific rule, not a general requirement for all employers. U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual
3. Confirm that your task is covered
Check whether the approval applies to the work you intend to do, who will use or receive the output, and how it fits into your workflow. A tool approved for drafting generic text, for example, may not be approved for a different task involving personal or confidential information.
The UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says approved AI tools and online AI tools on DWP devices may be used when there is a business requirement. Its policy requires governance-board approval for significant changes to an approved tool’s use case, such as beginning to use personal data. Those rules apply to DWP, not automatically to other employers. DWP: Use of artificial intelligence
4. Classify the information before entering it
Consider what the prompt, uploaded files, or connected services would expose. Check your employer’s rules for personal information, confidential or non-public business information, regulated data, source code, customer records, and other restricted material. A service’s general approval does not necessarily mean every data category is permitted.
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5. Ask for a decision if anything is unclear
Pause before submitting work information if you cannot confirm that the tool, account, task, and data are covered. Contact the person or team named in your policy—often a manager, IT or software owner, information security, privacy, legal, procurement, or AI governance.
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To make the question answerable, include:
- The service, edition, and account you would use, including whether it is organization-managed.
- The business purpose and intended workflow, including who will see or rely on the output.
- The types of data involved and any connected files, apps, or integrations.
- Any relevant settings or features, such as retention controls, if your policy asks you to check them.
Ask for a documented answer that identifies any conditions or data restrictions. If approval is denied or limited, use a sanctioned alternative or remove restricted information only if your employer’s rules permit that approach.
6. Recheck when the tool or use changes
An earlier approval may no longer fit after a major product or feature change, a new integration, a different data category, or a change in purpose. Check your employer’s process for reassessment rather than assuming prior permission still applies.
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North Carolina Department of Information Technology guidance, for example, places responsibility on each agency to determine whether publicly available generative AI use is acceptable for its employees and describes reassessment, including after major releases or function changes. This guidance applies to North Carolina agencies; it does not set a universal review schedule. North Carolina DIT: Generative Artificial Intelligence Guidance
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare approved options
If your employer offers more than one sanctioned tool, compare the conditions that matter for your task rather than treating one as universally approved:
- Which data classifications and use cases are permitted.
- Which account, edition, and retention settings are required.
- Whether the service or its integrations can access company files or other systems.
- Whether a person must review outputs before they are used or shared.
- Where to get support or report a suspected information exposure.
NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework can help organizations think about trustworthiness in the design, development, use, and evaluation of AI systems. NIST describes the framework as voluntary guidance; it is not an employer’s approved-tools list and cannot confirm whether a particular service is authorized at your workplace. NIST AI Risk Management Framework
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