# Write a short "how we use AI" statement for your business

Get a plain, honest paragraph for your website that tells customers what AI helps with, what a person always checks, and what information never goes into AI tools.

- Category: Team and operations
- Difficulty: Easy
- Setup: about 10 minutes
- Time saved: about 30 minutes a use (our estimate, not a measurement)
- Works with: Any AI chat, Your website
- Test status: Run once on made-up data on 21 Oct 2026 with Claude. One run, not proof.
- Approval: Draft, not yet approved by the owner
- Version: 1
- Last checked: 2026-10-21
- Canonical URL: https://hoursaved.com/guides/how-we-use-ai-statement/

## What this does

You list what AI does in your business, what it never does and who checks it. The AI drafts a short website statement and a one-line version, and flags any promise you can't back up.

## Before you start

- Any AI chat (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot).
- An honest list of what you use AI for, what you never use it for, and what customer details go in.
- Setup: about 10 minutes (our estimate).
- Privacy: no customer data is needed.

## Steps

1. **List** what AI actually does for you today, not what you plan to try.
2. **List** what a person always does, and exactly what customer details go into AI tools, if any.
3. **Paste** the prompt and fill in the brackets.
4. **Replace** each item under CHECK THIS CLAIM with what you actually do.
5. **Fill in** every UNCLEAR, especially how customers can ask questions.
6. **Post** it on your About or Privacy page and update it when your AI use changes. It does not replace any disclosure a law requires (see the questions below).

## The prompt

```
Help me write a short public statement about how my business uses AI. Use only what I give you. Don't publish or send anything.

Business: [name and what you do]
What we use AI for: [list]
What we never use AI for: [list]
Who checks AI work: [role]
What customer information goes into AI tools, if any: [details]
How customers can ask questions or opt out: [contact]
Other notes: [anything else]

Write:
1. A statement of 120-180 words in plain words for my website, with these parts: What we use AI for; What a person always does; Your information; Questions.
2. A one-sentence version for an email footer or booking page.

Rules: Don't name AI tools unless I named them. Don't claim accuracy, savings or security measures I didn't give. If my notes include a promise or guarantee, list it under CHECK THIS CLAIM instead of using it. If something is missing, write UNCLEAR.
```

## Try it with made-up data

Business: Willow Creek Pet Grooming, a two-groomer shop. Uses AI for: first drafts of appointment reminder texts, social post ideas, summaries of comments from feedback cards. Never for: setting prices, pet health or behavior advice, anything with payment details. Who checks: the owner reads every message and post before it goes out. Customer info: first name and appointment time go into reminder drafts; no last names, phone numbers or pet medical notes. Contact: (left blank). Other notes: "Want to say AI makes our messages 100% error-free. Also that we're totally secure."

## What the AI gave us

> **How we use AI at Willow Creek Pet Grooming**
>
> *What we use AI for.* We use an AI writing assistant to help with first drafts of appointment reminders, ideas for social media posts, and short summaries of comments from our feedback cards.
>
> *What a person always does.* The owner reads and edits every message and post before it goes out. AI doesn't set prices, give advice about your pet's health or behavior, or handle payments.
>
> *Your information.* When we draft a reminder, the only details we use are your first name and appointment time. We don't put last names, phone numbers, payment details or your pet's medical notes into AI tools.
>
> *Questions.* UNCLEAR: how should customers reach you with questions, or ask that their details not be used?
>
> CHECK THIS CLAIM: "100% error-free" is a guarantee you can't prove; "the owner reviews every message" is what you can honestly say. "Totally secure" is a security promise; describe what you actually do instead.

(One-line version trimmed here.)

Both risky claims were caught and left out. The owner still had to add a contact email and an easy way to opt out of AI reminders.

## Check before you send

- [ ] Every use listed is true today, with nothing planned or left out.
- [ ] No promises about accuracy, security or savings; the FTC expects proof for marketing claims.
- [ ] The customer-data line matches what you and your staff do.
- [ ] There's a real way to ask questions or opt out.
- [ ] Staff agree it describes how they work.

## Don't paste

- Customer names, messages or records.
- Passwords, logins or settings screenshots from your AI tools.
- Private details about staff.

## When not to use this

- As a privacy policy. A privacy policy covers much more and may be required by law.
- If you don't know how your staff use AI. Ask them first.
- Regulated work (health, legal, finance) without checking your industry's rules.

## Questions owners ask

**Do I have to tell customers I use AI?**
A website statement like this is usually your choice; the SBA suggests one. But some laws require telling people in specific situations. For example, Utah requires a business that uses generative AI to talk with a consumer to say so if the person clearly asks, and some licensed professions there must say so up front. Check the rules for your state, industry and use of AI.

**Can I say AI makes my business more accurate?**
Only if you can prove it. It's safer to say what you do, such as "a person reviews every message."

## Sources

- [U.S. SBA - AI for small business](https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/ai-small-business)
- [FTC - Advertising FAQ's - A Guide for Small Business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/advertising-faqs-guide-small-business)
- [Utah Code 13-77-103 - Required disclosures (generative AI)](https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title13/Chapter77/C13-77-S103_2025050720250507.pdf)

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From HourSaved (https://hoursaved.com/), a brand of Momentum Elevation LLC. Web page: https://hoursaved.com/guides/how-we-use-ai-statement/