Free Guide

Is Your Business Ready for
AI? A Practical Risk Guide

AI tools are already inside most UK SMEs — whether leadership knows it or not. This guide helps boards and leadership teams understand the real risks, ask the right questions, and make informed decisions about AI adoption and governance.

  • How to identify where AI is already being used across your business
  • The data and privacy risks most businesses discover too late
  • What a proportionate AI policy actually looks like for an SME
  • The questions your board should be asking about AI risk today
  • How to take advantage of AI without exposing the business
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About this guide

The AI risks most SME boards
haven't been told about.

Staff are already using AI tools at work — ChatGPT, Copilot, AI-assisted email and document drafting — in many cases without policies, without oversight, and without leadership knowing what data is being shared or with whom.

This guide was written for SME boards and leadership teams who know AI is on the agenda but are not sure where the real risks sit, or what proportionate governance looks like for a business their size.

No technical knowledge required. The questions and frameworks in this guide are designed for commercial leaders, not technologists. They will help you have an informed conversation — internally, with advisers, or with your IT supplier.

Speak to Carl about AI readiness

What the guide covers

  • 1What AI tools are already in use across your business — and who knows?
  • 2What data is your business sending to AI tools, and where does it go?
  • 3Do you have an AI acceptable use policy — and does it actually work?
  • 4What are your obligations under UK GDPR when staff use AI with personal data?
  • 5How could AI-generated content create reputational or legal risk?
  • 6What does proportionate AI governance look like for an SME?
  • 7Which AI opportunities are genuinely relevant to a business your size?
  • 8Who is accountable for AI risk at board level?

Ready to get ahead of
the AI governance curve?

Northstar's AI Readiness & Advisory service helps SME boards and leadership teams understand their current AI exposure, build a proportionate policy, and take advantage of AI without unnecessary risk.

Start a conversation with Carl