A free AI check for UK businesses
Check an AI idea before anyone buys it.
Answer a few questions about one job you want AI to do. You get a one-page brief that says what to test first and whether you need a data protection impact assessment (DPIA), ready for a director to sign.
It's free and doesn't ask for your email.
The job:let staff search our internal documents
- Worth testingIs it worth testing?
- Software you already haveTest first
- Plan for a DPIAData protection
Staff already use ChatGPT, someone wants Microsoft 365 Copilot, and a supplier is pitching a private AI build. Before anyone signs, the same questions come up, and nobody has the answers on one page.
The check answers these questions
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
It takes about five minutes. Your answers stay in your browser, and nothing is sent unless you ask for a review.
- 1
The job
Say what you want AI to do, in a sentence, who does it now and how often it comes up.
Have ready
- The job, in a sentence
- Roughly how often it happens
- 2
The information
Say what information it would use, who's allowed to see it and whether it can go to an outside AI service.
Have ready
- What information it would use
- Any rule on where data is kept
- 3
What you already have
Say which email and file system you use, and whether anyone has tried the AI features you already pay for.
Have ready
- Your Microsoft 365 or Google plan
- Anything you've already tried
- 4
Running it
Name who'll look after it once it's live, and who checks its work before anyone relies on it.
Have ready
- A name for each, if you have one
One page you can take to the board
The brief comes back as soon as you finish. Print it, or save it as a PDF for the people who need to agree.
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
The brief starts with software you already pay for. Anything new has to show why it's needed.
The data rules
It sets out what can go into the tool and where that information is allowed to go.
Do you need a DPIA?
The check uses the screening points published by the ICO, the UK's data protection regulator, and links to a free template if you need one. It isn't legal advice: your data protection officer (DPO) or adviser makes the call.
Who runs it, and the first test
It names who looks after the tool once it's live, and sets out a four-week test on your own documents.
Four ways to run AI, tested in order
The brief never ranks suppliers or assumes you need new kit. It starts with the route that needs the least new work.
1
Software you already have
When it fits: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another system you pay for has an AI feature.
What it has to prove: That it does the job within your rules, before you buy anything new.
Start here
2
An app built on an outside AI service
When it fits: Your software leaves a gap, and sending work to an approved outside service is allowed.
What it has to prove: That the provider's terms, the access rules and the running costs hold up.
If a gap remains
3
A dedicated cloud setup
When it fits: Your rules allow hosting with a provider, but not a service shared with other customers.
What it has to prove: Why a separately hosted setup is needed, and who will keep it running.
Only if needed
4
Hardware in your building
When it fits: It has to keep working with no internet connection.
What it has to prove: That the model is good enough, and someone can look after the machines.
Only if needed
Templates and guides for the questions that hold things up
Free, with every source linked.
- In Word and PDF, with no email needed.
- It follows the ICO's seven steps and adds the questions an AI tool raises.
Get the template
- Two pages in Word.
- It says which tools staff can use, what must never go into them and who checks the work.
Get the template
- Where each keeps your data, and what each costs per person.
- What to test before you sign up.
Read the guide
How to start safely, one job at a time
Keep the first step small enough to stop if it doesn't help. Nobody has to buy anything to find out.
Questions people ask before they start
How the check worksIs the check free?
Yes. There's no sign-up and no email needed. If you'd like someone to go through your brief with you, you can request a review afterwards. Any work after that is agreed separately.
Does anyone see my answers?
No. Your answers stay in your browser while the page is open. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you choose to request a review.
Will it tell us which supplier to use?
No. It says which kind of route to test first and what each one has to prove. It doesn't rank products or suppliers, and it doesn't judge anyone's security.
Do we need a DPIA for ChatGPT or Copilot?
If staff or customer personal data will go into it, plan for one. The ICO says that in the vast majority of cases, using AI involves processing likely to be high risk, which makes a data protection impact assessment a legal requirement. 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. The first route it tests is the software you already have, so the brief shows what to check before you roll it out further.
Is this legal advice?
No. The brief and the guides quote the ICO and UK GDPR and link to them, but your data protection officer or adviser makes the call.
Check it before anyone signs.
It takes about five minutes, and you keep the brief. The check is free, and any work after it is agreed separately.