AI gives us a great opportunity to be more productive and increase our social impact, but it also has downsides and risks.
This document reflects our main guidelines and restrictions for using AI.
We also have an AI Library, where we share good prompts, useful recommendations and other AI resources.
This AI Policy is focused on giving specific and actionable guidelines. It’s designed to be easy to understand, apply and update.
A document like this is only useful if everybody in your organization can understand and apply it easily. Otherwise it would be just another document full of big words and generic concepts that takes 10 meetings and 2 months to elaborate, only to be ignored by most of your people and collect dust in a folder somewhere.
The goal of this document is to make sure our AI use is aligned with our mission, goals and ethical principles. It will also allow us to reduce risks and misunderstandings.
This Policy applies to:
It doesn’t apply to:
Violating this policy may result in disciplinary actions. Depending on severity, consequences may include loss of access to AI tools, mandatory retraining or legal/disciplinary measures (including contract termination).
When using AI tools, you should:
We encourage responsible experimentation with AI within these guidelines. Share your learnings so the entire organization can benefit.
If you have questions or need an exception to any of these rules, contact [email protected]. We encourage questions and suggestions, nobody will be penalized for asking.
These are generic guidelines. You probably should adapt them to your organization’s priorities and ethical principles. For example, if your organization is focused on protecting the environment, you might include guidelines to make sure your AI use is more eco-friendly (eg. using local AI systems or smaller AI models whenever possible, since they consume less energy and resources than the biggest cloud AI systems and the newer AI reasoning models).
We will never use AI in ways that violate our core values or applicable laws, compromise the privacy and dignity of individuals, or create undue risk to our organization or the people we serve.
Here are a few specific examples of AI uses that we don’t allow:
Never provide Personal Identifiable Information (PII), proprietary or confidential information to an AI tool.
Some tools are more risky than others, so we have to be careful with them and sometimes not use them at all. It could be due to ethical issues, data privacy limitations, security risks, high costs, frequent hallucinations or other issues.
We will give priority to tools that comply with this principles:
These AI tools have been approved for use:
These AI tools have been forbidden:
If you want to use AI tools that are not listed here, contact [email protected]. We will review it and give you a response ASAP. *
* Another option would be that only risky tools have to be approved. You could use a text like this:
“If it’s clearly a “safe” use (you won’t provide personal or confidential data, the tool doesn’t publish anything automatically, the provider complies with all our key regulations like GDPR…), you can use it without previous approval. If it’s a risky use or you are not sure, please contact [email protected]“
You might include in the list specific tools (eg. ChatGPT), categories (eg. AI image generators) or conditions (eg. Tools with their servers outside the EU or that don’t comply with a certain law).
You could also use a “Traffic Light” system: Categorize tools or use cases as green (always OK), yellow (proceed with caution, consult if unsure), and red (forbidden).
There will be an “AI Committee” composed by a diverse team of experts (IT, legal and ethics).
The AI Committee will:
The AI Officer will:
All the staff should check this Policy and our AI Library before using any AI tools for their work.
We recommend checking the AI Library at least once per month to stay up to date to the latest best practices, tools, etc.
We encourage everybody to join AI training programs. And share the best learnings with the team (summary + link to the source) on the AI Library and our internal communication platforms.
Since AI is a rapidly changing field, we need to review and improve this Policy frequently to ensure it’s adapted to new needs, technologies and legal requirements.
What do we mean by “AI” in this policy?
We are referring to any software, system, or tool that uses algorithms or machine learning to generate content, make recommendations, or assist with decision-making. This includes text generators (like ChatGPT), image or video generators, predictive analytics tools, and more.
What kind of information should I never put into an AI tool?
Never enter Personally Identifiable Information (PII) like names, addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses into an AI tool. Also, do not enter confidential information about our organization, our finances, our beneficiaries, our donors, or our partners. Always err on the side of caution.
Can I use my personal AI accounts or free online tools for work?
Generally, no. We ask you to use only organization-approved AI tools and your designated work account. If you want to test a new tool that isn’t on the approved list, please contact the AI Officer (at [email protected]). We need to ensure the tool meets our privacy and ethical standards.
What if I find a great new AI tool or a new way to use AI in our work?
That’s great, we encourage innovation! Please send the details to [email protected]. We will review your suggestion and update our Policy if necessary. We’re always looking for ways to use AI to enhance our impact.
I’m unsure whether my AI use violates policy. What should I do?
When in doubt, ask. Pause and send an email to [email protected]. Better to confirm first than risk a violation that could have legal, ethical, or reputational consequences.
How can I learn more about using AI?
Our AI Library is a great resource. It contains helpful guides, articles, recommended training programs, and examples of good AI prompts. You can also reach out to the AI Officer at [email protected] with any questions. We encourage everyone to stay informed about AI and to share their learnings with the team.
You might want to use this section to include additional resources or links, such as: