To check whether an AI tool is approved for work, consult your employer’s current AI policy or approved-tools register, then verify the exact service and account, the work you plan to do, and the information you would enter. Approval may cover only a particular account or use case—not every feature or data type. If you cannot confirm the rules, ask the responsible internal contact before submitting 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. Use the current policy rather than relying on a colleague’s experience or the fact that an app is available on a work device; neither establishes that your intended use is authorized.
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Policies from other organizations can illustrate how approval works, but they do not authorize use at your workplace. For example, the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) permits use of approved AI tools and online AI tools on DWP devices when there is a business requirement. That is a DWP rule, not a general permission for other employers. Read DWP guidance.
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Match the service to what your employer has authorized. Check the product name and edition, whether the account is organization-managed or personal, which features are enabled, and whether it connects to company files or other systems. A listing for one edition or a managed account does not necessarily cover a personal account, a different service, or every integration.
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Authorization can involve more than an employer’s approved-tools list. The U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual, for example, says personnel may not create official-capacity accounts for an AI service unless its terms of service have been approved by the Office of the Legal Adviser and the service is authorized for official use by the appropriate policy components. This requirement applies to State Department personnel, not all workplaces. See the Foreign Affairs Manual.
3. Confirm that your particular use is allowed
Approval of a tool does not automatically cover every task. Check whether the permitted purpose, audience, workflow, and use of the output match your plan. For instance, approval to draft internal material may not cover using the same service to process personal information or make decisions affecting customers.
DWP guidance requires governance-board approval for significant changes to an approved tool’s use case, including beginning to use personal data. That example shows why a changed purpose may need review; your employer’s own policy determines what applies to you.
4. Check the information before entering it
Classify the material you intend to include in a prompt, upload, or connected source. Look for personal information, confidential or non-public business information, regulated data, source code, customer records, and any other categories your employer restricts. A tool can be authorized for some work while particular information remains prohibited or requires additional approval.
DWP’s rules, for example, require relevant governance approval before specified sensitive information is uploaded. Do not treat that as a universal list of permitted or prohibited data: follow your employer’s classifications and instructions.
5. If the rules are unclear, get an internal decision
Pause before entering work information. Ask the contact named in your policy—often a manager, IT or software owner, information-security or privacy team, legal, procurement, or AI governance. To help them decide, describe:
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- The service, edition, account type, and relevant features or integrations.
- The business purpose and who will use or receive the output.
- The data categories involved, without sharing restricted data in the request.
- How you plan to use the output and what human review will occur.
Ask for a documented answer that identifies the scope of permission, including any account, data, or use-case limits. If no internal contact or approval route is clear, ask your manager or the policy owner to identify one before proceeding.
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6. Recheck when the tool or use changes
Approval can become outdated when the product, its connected data, or your purpose changes—or when your employer changes its policy. North Carolina Department of Information Technology guidance assigns agencies responsibility for deciding whether publicly available generative AI is acceptable for their employees and describes reassessment after major releases or function changes. Those are North Carolina agency guidelines; they do not set a universal review schedule. See North Carolina’s AI guidance.
Revisit your employer’s rules when a material change occurs, and follow its stated review cadence if it has one. DWP’s separate requirement for approval of significant changes to an approved tool’s use case is another organization-specific example.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare tools your employer has approved
If your organization offers several sanctioned options, compare their documented permissions and settings against the needs of your task:
| What to compare | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Data classifications | Which types of information each tool may handle, and any exclusions or additional approvals. |
| Use cases | Whether your task, audience, workflow, and intended use of outputs are covered. |
| Account and settings | Which account type is authorized and what retention or other relevant settings apply. |
| Connections | Whether the service can access company files or other integrations, and whether those connections are allowed. |
| Review and support | Whether outputs require human review and how to report problems or security incidents. |
Do not assume one approved option is the right choice for every task. Your employer’s policy and the specific account settings determine which tool, if any, fits a particular use.
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NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework is voluntary guidance for incorporating trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, use, and evaluation of AI products, services, and systems. It can inform organizational risk management, but it is not your employer’s approved-tools register or permission to use a service at work. Read about the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
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