Find out more about our AI Adoption Procurement and Governance apprenticeship unit and how your employee(s) will learn to develop responsible AI governance for your business.
AI adoption is accelerating across UK businesses. But as more employees and departments begin using AI, who's responsible for making sure it's being used safely, effectively and strategically?
AI is no longer something businesses can simply watch from the sideline.
Employees are using generative AI to write and analyse content, automate tasks, summarise information, conduct research and improve productivity. Businesses are exploring AI-powered software, automation and decision-making tools.
Leaders are looking at how AI can transform everything from customer service and marketing to operations and workforce productivity.
But there's a question every employer should be asking:
Who is governing your company's use of AI?
If you don't have a clear answer, you could already have a governance gap.
AI adoption doesn't always start at board level
One of the challenges with AI is how easy it is to start using.
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An employee can sign up for an AI tool within minutes.
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A marketing team can introduce an AI writing platform.
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A salesperson can use AI to summarise customer information.
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A manager can experiment with AI to analyse data or automate an administrative task.
These decisions may be perfectly reasonable individually.
But collectively, they can create a bigger organisational question:
Do you actually know how AI is being used across your business?
Without clear governance, different teams may be using different tools, working to different standards and making their own decisions about what information can be shared with AI systems.
That doesn't mean businesses should prevent employees from using AI.
It means they need to establish clear ownership, sensible boundaries and appropriate oversight.
AI governance isn't just an IT issue
It's easy to assume that AI governance belongs with IT or your technology team.
But AI increasingly affects almost every area of an organisation.
Consider some of the questions your business may need to answer:
HR and recruitment:
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Are AI tools being used to screen applications, analyse employee data or support recruitment decisions?
Marketing:
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Are employees entering customer information or commercially sensitive material into AI tools? Who checks AI-generated content before it is published?
Sales:
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Are AI systems analysing customer information or generating communications?
Finance:
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Is AI being used to analyse financial information or support important business decisions?
Operations:
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Are AI systems being used to automate processes or make recommendations that affect customers or employees?
IT and security:
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Which AI tools are connected to company systems, and what happens to the information they process?
Leadership:
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Who decides which AI applications the organisation should adopt, and who is accountable for the risks?
These questions demonstrate why AI governance needs to be considered across your organisation, not simply delegated to the person who manages your technology.
What does AI governance actually mean?
AI governance is essentially about creating the framework that determines how your organisation adopts, uses and manages AI.
That could include:
- establishing an AI strategy
- identifying appropriate use cases
- assessing potential risks
- deciding which AI tools can be used
- evaluating AI suppliers and technology
- establishing policies and processes
- protecting company and personal data
- defining where human oversight is required
- monitoring how AI systems perform
- training employees
- reviewing and improving your approach as AI develops
Good governance shouldn't be about creating a mountain of bureaucracy.
It should give your people clarity.
Employees should understand what they can use AI for, what they need to check, what information they shouldn't share and when they need to involve someone else.
The biggest risk could be having no clear owner
Perhaps the most important question isn't:
"Do we have an AI policy?"
It's:
"Who owns AI?"
You may already have people responsible for data protection, information security, technology, compliance and employee training.
But who has responsibility for bringing all of these considerations together?
Who understands both the opportunities AI creates and the risks associated with adoption?
Who can evaluate a new AI supplier before the business signs up?
Who can help departments decide whether an AI use case is appropriate?
Who can establish governance processes?
And who can help leadership understand whether AI is actually delivering business value?
For many organisations, this responsibility is likely to evolve as AI becomes more embedded in day-to-day operations.
What matters is that accountability is clear.
Your AI governance strategy needs people behind it
Technology alone won't make your AI strategy successful.
Your people will.
That means organisations need employees who understand more than simply how to use ChatGPT or another generative AI tool.
They need people who can think about AI strategically.
They need to understand:
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AI strategy — Where can AI create genuine value for the organisation?
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AI procurement — How do we assess and select AI systems and suppliers?
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AI governance — How do we establish appropriate policies, processes and controls?
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Risk management — What could go wrong, and how do we manage those risks?
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Responsible AI — How do we ensure AI is being used appropriately, ethically and transparently?
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Change management — How do we bring employees with us as AI changes the way work is done?
These capabilities are becoming increasingly important as organisations move from experimenting with AI to embedding it into their operations.
Don't wait until something goes wrong
A common approach to new technology is to deal with governance once adoption has already happened.
AI makes that particularly challenging.
By the time a business realises that multiple teams are using different AI tools, sensitive information is being entered into systems or employees are relying on AI-generated outputs without appropriate checks, the technology may already be deeply embedded in everyday processes.
A more proactive approach is to establish governance alongside adoption.
That doesn't mean trying to predict every possible development in AI.
It means creating a framework that can adapt as your organisation's use of AI develops.
Five questions for your leadership team
If you're unsure where your organisation currently stands, start with these five questions:
1. Do we know how AI is currently being used?
Ask your teams.
You may find that AI is already being used in more departments and for more purposes than leadership realises.
2. Who is responsible for AI governance?
There should be clear accountability for AI adoption and governance — even if that responsibility sits alongside an existing role.
3. Do employees understand the rules?
Your people need practical guidance on approved tools, data, confidentiality, accuracy and human oversight.
4. How do we assess new AI tools?
Before adopting an AI system, consider how it will be used, what data it will process, what risks it introduces and whether it delivers genuine business value.
5. Are we developing the people who will lead AI adoption?
AI capability isn't just about technical skills.
Your organisation also needs people who can connect AI opportunities with business strategy, governance and organisational change.
From AI experimentation to responsible adoption
The conversation around AI is changing.
For many organisations, the question is no longer: "Should we use AI?"
It's becoming: "How do we use AI effectively and responsibly?"
That requires more than access to technology.
It requires leadership. It requires governance. And it requires people with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about AI.
Build the capability to govern AI
At Leep, our AI Leadership Apprenticeship Units are designed to help employers develop the skills they need to lead AI adoption.
Our AI Adoption, Procurement & Governance Apprenticeship Unit is a Level 5 programme designed for employees responsible for adopting and governing AI systems within their organisation. Delivered online over four days, the programme helps develop the knowledge needed to evaluate, procure and govern AI responsibly.
It's fully funded through the Growth & Skills Levy for eligible organisations, providing a practical way to develop existing employees without the cost of traditional external training.
If your organisation is already using AI, or planning to expand its use, now is the time to think about who will lead it.
Get started