Questions to ask before an organisation adopts an AI tool

A practical guide for Ridents readers, written from everyday experience.

Adding an AI tool to a workflow is a decision about risk as much as about efficiency. Start by writing down what the tool will decide or suggest, who is affected by those outcomes and what happens when it gets something wrong. A tool that drafts internal notes needs far less scrutiny than one that screens job applicants or answers customers about their accounts.

Adding an AI tool to a workflow is a decision about risk as much as about efficiency.

Ask the supplier how the system was tested, what data it was trained on and how your own data will be stored. Decide who reviews its output and how errors are reported and corrected. Run a small pilot with real cases before a full rollout, measure the results honestly, and keep a person responsible for every decision that significantly affects someone.