Using AI safely at work

AI tools can draft a letter, summarise a long report or suggest ideas in seconds. Your staff are probably already trying them. The goal is to use them well, with a few clear rules.

Decide what the tools are for

Good first uses carry little risk: drafting emails, tidying your wording, brainstorming, summarising public information, and first drafts of documents that a person will review. Leave anything that needs a firm decision, such as marks, hiring or payments, to people.

Keep private information out

Many AI tools are run by outside companies. Treat anything you type into them as shared. Do not paste in:

• Student, patient or member records.
• Passwords, ID numbers or bank details.
• Contracts or financial figures that are not public.

Uganda's Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 sets rules for handling personal data, so check what applies to your organisation.

Check what it tells you

AI can sound sure of itself and still be wrong. It may invent a figure, a law or a quotation. Check names, numbers and claims against a reliable source before you use them.

Keep a person responsible

If a message goes out under your name, you are responsible for what it says, however it was written. Read it before you send it.

Agree simple rules as a team

Write a half-page guide: which tools are allowed, what must never be entered, and who to ask when unsure. Review it every few months, because the tools change quickly.

Start small

Pick one task, try it for a month and see what it saves. Then decide whether to do more. We also run practical training on using AI tools safely at work.