A free AI check for UK businesses
Check an AI idea before anyone buys it.
Describe one job you want AI to do. You get a one-page brief for a director to sign: what to test first, and whether you need a data protection impact assessment (DPIA).
Free, with no email needed.
The job:let staff search our internal documents
- Worth testingIs it worth testing?
- Software you already haveTest first
- Plan for a DPIAData protection
Staff use ChatGPT, someone wants Microsoft 365 Copilot, and a supplier is pitching a private AI build. Nobody has the answers on one page.
The check answers
Is ChatGPT safe for confidential information?
Copilot or ChatGPT?
Do we need a DPIA?
Who looks after it once the trial ends?
How the check works
About five minutes. Your answers stay in your browser unless you ask for a review.
- 1
The job
What you want AI to do, who does it now and how often.
Have ready
- Roughly how often it happens
- 2
The information
What information it uses, who may see it, and whether an outside AI service is allowed.
Have ready
- Any rule on where data is kept
- 3
What you already have
Your email and file system, and whether anyone has tried the AI features you already pay for.
Have ready
- Your Microsoft 365 or Google plan
- 4
Running it
Who looks after it once it's live, and who checks its work.
Have ready
- A name for each
One page for the board
Ready as soon as you finish, to print or save as a PDF.
Your brief
The job
Let staff search our internal documents
Every week or moreEach person keeps their own access
- Is this worth testing?
- Worth testing.
- Test first
- Software you already have
- Software you already haveCheck first
- An app built on an outside AI serviceIf a gap remains
- A dedicated cloud setupNo need shown yet
- Hardware in your buildingNo need shown yet
Settle these first
- Test that each person only sees what they're allowed to see.
- Get a security review before anything goes live.
- Name who looks after it once it's live.
What to test first
Software you already pay for comes first. Anything new needs a reason.
The data rules
What can go into the tool, and where it may go.
Do you need a DPIA?
Screened against what the ICO, the UK's data protection regulator, says about AI and personal data, with a free template if you need one.
Who runs it, and the first test
Who looks after it once it's live, and a four-week test on your own work.
Four ways to run AI, tested in order
The brief starts with the route that needs the least new work, and never ranks suppliers.
1
Software you already have
Fits when: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another system you pay for has an AI feature.
Has to prove: It does the job within your rules.
Start here
2
An app built on an outside AI service
Fits when: Your software leaves a gap, and an approved outside service is allowed.
Has to prove: The provider's terms, access rules and running costs hold up.
If a gap remains
3
A dedicated cloud setup
Fits when: Your rules allow a hosting provider, but not a service shared with other customers.
Has to prove: Why it's needed, and who keeps it running.
Only if needed
4
Hardware in your building
Fits when: It has to work with no internet connection.
Has to prove: The model is good enough, and someone can look after the machines.
Only if needed
Templates and guides
Free, with every source linked.
- Word and PDF.
- The ICO's seven steps, plus the questions an AI tool raises.
Get the template
- Two pages in Word.
- Which tools staff can use, what never goes in and who checks the work.
Get the template
- Where each keeps your data, and what each costs per person.
Read the guide
Start safely, one job at a time
Keep the first test small enough to stop if it doesn't help.
Common questions
How the check worksIs the check free?
Yes, with no sign-up. If you want someone to go through the brief with you, request a review.
Does anyone see my answers?
No. They stay in your browser unless you request a review.
Will it tell us which supplier to use?
No. It says which kind of route to test first and what each has to prove. It doesn't rank products or judge anyone's security.
Do we need a DPIA for ChatGPT or Copilot?
If staff or customer personal data goes in, plan for one. The ICO says most AI use with personal data is likely to be high risk, and high-risk processing legally needs a DPIA. Get the free DPIA template.
We've already bought Microsoft 365 Copilot. Is it too late?
No. Run the check on the job you bought it for. It tests the software you already have first.
Is this legal advice?
No. It quotes and links the ICO and UK GDPR, but your data protection officer or adviser decides.