How do we write a simple, practical team policy that stops employees from leaking our proprietary operating data into public AI models without making them feel policed?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not need a fifty page legal document to protect your intellectual property. A massive, restrictive policy will only force your team to use AI tools in secret, which creates even bigger security risks. Keep it direct and aligned with your EOS® core values.

Start by dividing your company data into two buckets: public and private. Public data includes marketing copy, generic emails, and public facing website content. Private data includes client lists, proprietary pricing formulas, financial statements, and custom workflows.

Your policy should state one clear rule: any data that is private must never be typed, pasted, or uploaded into a public, free AI tool like the basic version of ChatGPT. If your team needs to analyze private company data, they must use your approved, enterprise grade accounts where data sharing with the public model is turned off.

Introduce this policy during your weekly Level 10 Meeting™. Explain the why behind the rule. You are not trying to slow them down. You are protecting the value of the business, which is critical if you want to prepare for a clean exit down the road. Make it easy for them to comply by providing standard, secure tools rather than just telling them what not to do.

When your people understand the boundary between public and private data, they can innovate safely. This keeps your operations secure and ensures you are building a system dependent business that holds its value.