Lesson 7.10

Responsible AI Use at Work

Estimated time: 9 minutes

AI tools can help with:

drafting
brainstorming
summarizing
translation
organizing information
creating ideas
productivity

But AI creates new workplace responsibilities.

Nigeria’s National AI Strategy explicitly promotes responsible and ethical AI development and use, while the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics’ (NCAIR’s) policy work emphasizes accountability, transparency, fairness and responsible access to AI systems.

Rule 1 — Do Not Put Sensitive Information Into AI Without Authorization

Imagine an employee receives a long customer complaint.

She copies the entire complaint—including the customer’s:

name
telephone number
account details
private information

into a public AI tool and asks:

“Write a response.”

The AI may produce a useful response.

But the employee may have disclosed information outside the organization’s approved system.

Better

Remove unnecessary identifying information or use only an employer-approved AI system and process.

Follow workplace policy.

Rule 2 — AI Can Be Wrong

An AI response can sound confident and still be inaccurate.

Do not send AI-generated information to a customer simply because it sounds professional.

Check:

names
dates
prices
policies
calculations
promises
factual claims

before using it.

The National Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA’s) leadership has likewise emphasized maintaining human oversight and designing guardrails for privacy, ethics and responsible AI use.

Rule 3 — AI Does Not Create Authority

AI may suggest:

“Give the customer a full refund.”

That does not mean you now have authority to approve a refund.

Workplace authority still applies.

Rule 4 — Do Not Use AI to Invent Facts

Do not ask AI to create:

fake customer reviews
false transaction records
fictional evidence
made-up explanations presented as fact
information designed to mislead someone

Technology does not turn dishonesty into professionalism.

Rule 5 — Human Responsibility Remains

If you use AI in your work:

You remain responsible for what you submit, send or act upon.

Poor

“AI wrote it, so if it’s wrong it’s not my fault.”

Better

“I used AI to help draft it. I checked the facts and remain responsible for what I send.”

More Workplace Examples

Confidential customer information

An employee wants to paste a complaint containing customer identifiers into an AI tool.

BETTER RESPONSE

Do not upload confidential or personal information unless organizational policy and the tool’s approved use permit it.

Removing a name alone may not make the material safe to share.

Routine drafting

An employee uses an approved AI tool to draft a general appointment reminder without private customer details.

BETTER RESPONSE

Stay within approved policy and review the wording, dates and promises before sending it through the authorized channel.

An unchecked AI answer

AI confidently states a refund policy the employee has not verified.

BETTER RESPONSE

Check the actual workplace policy and approval limits before using the answer.

Confident wording is not evidence or authority.

Fake evidence or reviews

An employee asks AI to invent satisfied-customer reviews or a transaction record.

BETTER RESPONSE

Do not present generated fiction as real evidence or customer experience.

An AI tool does not make deception acceptable.

Approved use and human review

A team uses an employer-approved AI process to help draft a routine internal message.

BETTER RESPONSE

Use only the information and purposes permitted by policy. A person must check accuracy, privacy, tone and authorization before the message is used.

Remember

Use AI as a tool—not as a substitute for judgment, authorization or responsibility.