Rolling out AI assistants without oversharing your data
AI assistants find everything a user can open. Fix permissions first and the rollout becomes the easy part.
An AI assistant connected to your email, files and chat does not create new access. It uses the access each person already has, and it is very good at finding things. A salary spreadsheet shared with the whole company years ago stays invisible until someone asks the assistant about pay.
Start with a permissions review. Find sites, folders and links shared with everyone or with anyone who has the link, and narrow them. Apply sensitivity labels to the data that matters most, such as HR, finance, legal and client records, so the assistant and your data-loss rules treat it differently.
Then write a short acceptable-use policy: which AI tools are approved, what data may go into them and who to ask. Monitor or block unapproved AI apps so staff use the governed tool instead of a personal account.
Roll out in waves. A pilot group with a mix of roles shows where the assistant helps and where it surfaces something it should not. Fix those gaps, train the next group, and measure time saved on real tasks rather than counting licenses.
Key takeaways
- Assistants use existing permissions, so fix oversharing first
- Label sensitive data and publish an AI use policy
- Pilot, close the gaps, then expand with training
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