A free, practical guide for business owners: what AI governance is, how much of it you actually need, and a 90-day plan to put it in place, with ready-to-use templates.
No sign-up needed. October 2026 edition. General education, not legal advice.
The short answer
If your business uses AI, you need a small set of habits: know which AI tools you use, put one person in charge, set a few clear rules about data and checking, take extra care where AI touches customers or decisions about people, and look again every few months. For most small businesses that’s a few pages and a few hours a month, not a compliance department.
Who it’s for
Owners and managers of businesses with roughly 1 to 250 people who use AI tools, or whose staff do. You don’t need a legal or technical background. The guide answers three questions: does this apply to me, what’s the smallest sensible thing to do, and in what order.
What’s inside
1. Understand it
The five jobs of AI governance, where AI hides in ordinary software, a 2-minute sizing check, and which rules might reach you in the EU, US, UK and elsewhere.
2. Do it
A 90-day plan in 15 steps. Each step says why it matters, what to do, how long it takes and how you know it’s done, tagged by the level of risk it’s for.
3. Use it
Ten templates: an AI tool list, a one-page AI policy, a data red list, 12 vendor questions, launch and review checklists, and a one-page incident plan.
The 90-day plan at a glance
- Days 1 to 14 See what you have: name an AI owner, list every AI tool, sort each use green, amber or red.
- Days 15 to 30 Set the rules: approved tools with safe settings, a one-page policy, a clear line on data, a short team briefing.
- Days 31 to 60 Make the risky uses safe: vendor checks, honest customer-facing AI, human review of decisions about people, honest AI claims.
- Days 61 to 90 Keep it working: an incident plan with an off switch, a quarterly review, simple records, a 12-month calendar.
Where it comes from
The guide follows the body of knowledge that AI governance professionals study for the IAPP’s AIGP certification, and keeps the parts that matter when you buy and use AI rather than build it. Every legal claim names its source, and laws are described as they stood in October 2026.
AI Governance, Made Simple, by Danilo Stojkovic, PeritumAI, October 2026. General education, not legal advice: check with a qualified lawyer before decisions with legal or financial consequences. Unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by the IAPP; AIGP is a trademark of the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Free to share in complete, unchanged form.