AI · 2 HOURS
Secure Use of AI Tools at Work
Secure Use of AI Tools at Work teaches team leaders and managers to sort what goes into AI tools into what is fine, what needs care and what must never be pasted. You finish with a written team rule, tested on a real prompt, that a new colleague could follow on day one.
About this course
Most of the security risk in everyday use of AI tools comes from what people paste into them, because once a customer list, a sick note, or a password is in a prompt it has left your own systems and is held under the terms of whichever account was used. Two further risks grow as tools are connected to mailboxes and files: hidden instructions arriving in content the tool reads, and unchecked output such as code, formulas, or links going out into real work.
The course teaches you to sort what your team pastes against five categories, to record the settings of each account as checked facts rather than assumptions, and to recognise untrusted content coming in and unchecked output going out. You finish with a signed team rule in five parts, tested on one real prompt with a recorded decision, that a new starter could follow on their first day without needing an IT or security background.
What you will take away
- You will be able to check a paste for personal data, special category data such as health information, confidential business information, client material, and secrets before it goes into any tool.
- You will be able to record the six settings that decide what happens to information in an account, including training use, retention, sharing, connectors, and admin controls, with where and when you checked each one.
- You will be able to recognise a hidden instruction in an email or document a tool reads for you, and name the checks that output needs before it is used.
- You will be able to write a team rule covering approved tools, what must never be pasted, what may be pasted with a stated method, output checks, and who to tell when something goes wrong.
- You will leave with a signed team AI rule and a record of running it on one real prompt, showing where the rule gave a clear decision.
Who this course is for
- Team leaders who have been asked whether it is all right to paste a spreadsheet, a contract, or an email thread into an AI tool and want a clear answer to give.
- Managers in any function whose teams use a mix of work accounts and personal accounts and who need to know what actually happens to information in each.
- Experienced staff who handle customer records, staff information, or client material covered by a confidentiality agreement and use AI tools in their daily work.
- Line managers who want a short written rule for their team that sits alongside the organisation's information security policy without contradicting it.
What you will do
Each lesson teaches one part of the method, works through a realistic example, and ends with a check on a case you have not seen. The course closes with an assessment and then the piece of work you sign.
- 5lessons with a worked example and a check
- 7scenario questions in the course assessment
- Signedthe team AI rule, with a record anyone can verify
- 2 hoursat your own pace, with progress saved
- 01
Lesson
What was pasted
This lesson explains why a paste is a decision to share information outside your systems and sets out five categories that should make you stop, from personal data to passwords and keys. You mark each item a housing association colleague wants to paste as fine to paste or do not paste.
- A paste is a decision to share
- Five categories to look for
- Two labels for this lesson
- The mistake people usually make
You mark 5 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 02
Lesson
The settings you have
This lesson shows that the account type, not the tool's name, decides what happens to pasted information, and names the six settings to find for each account. You choose which of two team leaders' records gives the team what it needs to decide what may be pasted.
- The account decides, not the brand
- Six things to find
- A recorded fact, and an assumption
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 03
Lesson
What comes in and what goes out
This lesson covers two further routes a team rule must address: hidden instructions in content the tool reads, known as prompt injection, and output that is used without being checked. You mark each workplace situation as a safe habit or a risk to fix.
- Two more routes
- Untrusted content coming in
- Unchecked output going out
- A safe habit, and a risk to fix
You mark 5 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 04
Lesson
The rule
This lesson sets out the five parts of a team rule and explains why each line must be specific enough for a new starter to act on without asking. You edit a lettings team's draft rule so that it covers personal accounts, personal data, and secrets while keeping the approved tool.
- What a team rule is
- Five parts
- Specific enough to act on
- Reporting without blame
You repair a flawed draft so it meets the standard the lesson sets, and your revision is checked against it.
- 05
Lesson
Run it on one prompt
This lesson teaches you to test a rule by applying each part to one real prompt and recording a decision, treating any gap the rule leaves open as a finding to fix. You complete a half-finished run record by adding the output check, the report line, and the decision.
- A rule is tested when it decides a case
- The rule decides this, or the rule leaves this open
- Not the same as asking whether it looks sensible
- The record of the run
You repair a flawed draft so it meets the standard the lesson sets, and your revision is checked against it.
- 06
Course assessment
Course assessment
This lesson recaps what goes in, where it goes, what comes in and goes out, and the rule, then works one customer complaint request through every part. You answer seven scenario questions set in situations you have not seen, and you need six correct answers to pass.
- What goes in, and where it goes
- What comes in, and what goes out
- The rule, and the test of the rule
You judge 7 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 6 correct to pass.
- 07
Final work and signed record
Write the rule and test it
This lesson asks you to write the rule for the team you actually work in and to describe a real prompt without repeating anything confidential. You write your team AI rule in five parts, run it on one real prompt, record the result, and sign it.
- Start from your own team
- Ready for a new starter, or a new starter would have to ask
- Choose a real prompt and describe it safely
- How your work is checked
You write the team AI rule for your own work, part by part, and sign it as your record.
GOOD WORK.THE TEAM AI RULE, SIGNED.
WHAT CHANGES
What the course changes for you and your organisation.
- 01
Clear answers for your team
Your team gets a written rule that says which tool to open, what to leave out, and how to prepare a document, rather than a general instruction to be sensible. People stop guessing at their desks, and fewer confidential pastes happen by accident.
- 02
Decisions based on real settings
The course shows that the account, not the brand, decides what happens to pasted information, and teaches you to record each setting from the account itself. Your team's choices rest on checked facts rather than on assumptions about a large provider or a paid plan.
- 03
Mistakes reported rather than hidden
The rule names who to tell and how soon when something is pasted in error, and makes reporting the expected response. A password that may have been exposed is changed promptly instead of being quietly deleted from a chat history.
- 04
A clear rule for AI inputs
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 found that only 24% of UK businesses using or considering AI have practices in place to manage its security risks. A written team rule on what may and may not be pasted into AI tools is a simple, practical control that closes part of that gap.
ROLES THIS SKILL SHOWS UP IN
Roles where these skills are already valued and paid for.
These figures are published salary bands and wage premiums, not a guarantee that finishing this course moves you to the top of the range. They are here so you can see what the market is already paying for the work you will practise.
AI Prompt Engineer
£62,750 to £115,000, midpoint £92,500
Robert Half's 2026 UK guide. London midpoint is £125,750.
Artificial Intelligence Engineer
Midpoint £65,750
The neighbouring engineering role in the same Robert Half guide, for people who take the brief into a built system.
Machine Learning Engineer
Midpoint £75,000
Same guide. The brief you write here is the instruction that role then tests.
AI enablement or operations lead
Premium on the role you already hold
PwC found specialist AI skills carried a 34.2% wage premium in 2025. Many of those postings sit inside operations, customer, and people teams rather than a lab.
Customer communications or account work
The same seat, with a skill the posting now names
The course artefact is a prompt card a colleague can run. That is the work those teams are hiring people to supervise.
Learning, knowledge, or product operations
Listed against the AI-skilled premium
These roles now ask for someone who can brief a model, check the output, and leave a reusable instruction. That is the check this course marks.
QUESTIONS
Questions about Secure Use of AI Tools at Work
- What is Secure Use of AI Tools at Work about?
- Most of the security risk in everyday use of AI tools comes from what people paste into them, because once a customer list, a sick note, or a password is in a prompt it has left your own systems and is held under the terms of whichever account was used. Two further risks grow as tools are connected to mailboxes and files: hidden instructions arriving in content the tool reads, and unchecked output such as code, formulas, or links going out into real work. The course teaches you to sort what your team pastes against five categories, to record the settings of each account as checked facts rather than assumptions, and to recognise untrusted content coming in and unchecked output going out. You finish with a signed team rule in five parts, tested on one real prompt with a recorded decision, that a new starter could follow on their first day without needing an IT or security background.
- Who is Secure Use of AI Tools at Work for?
- Team leaders who have been asked whether it is all right to paste a spreadsheet, a contract, or an email thread into an AI tool and want a clear answer to give. Managers in any function whose teams use a mix of work accounts and personal accounts and who need to know what actually happens to information in each. Experienced staff who handle customer records, staff information, or client material covered by a confidentiality agreement and use AI tools in their daily work. Line managers who want a short written rule for their team that sits alongside the organisation's information security policy without contradicting it. No specialist background is assumed, and every term is explained before it is used.
- What will I be able to do after Secure Use of AI Tools at Work?
- You will be able to check a paste for personal data, special category data such as health information, confidential business information, client material, and secrets before it goes into any tool. You will be able to record the six settings that decide what happens to information in an account, including training use, retention, sharing, connectors, and admin controls, with where and when you checked each one. You will be able to recognise a hidden instruction in an email or document a tool reads for you, and name the checks that output needs before it is used. You will be able to write a team rule covering approved tools, what must never be pasted, what may be pasted with a stated method, output checks, and who to tell when something goes wrong. You will leave with a signed team AI rule and a record of running it on one real prompt, showing where the rule gave a clear decision.
- How long does the course take, and how is it taught?
- The course takes about 2 hours and is studied online at your own pace. It has 5 lessons, each with a worked example, a practice exercise, and a check on a new case, followed by a course assessment of 7 scenario questions in which you need 6 correct to pass. Your progress is saved to your account.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes. When you pass, you sign a record that names you, the course, and the team AI rule. Anyone you share it with can verify it online and download it as a PDF. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.
- How much does it cost, and when can I start?
- The course costs £99, paid once by card through Stripe. Access begins as soon as payment is confirmed, and you can save a sign-in to return to the course from any device.
- Can my organisation train a whole team?
- Yes. Individuals can buy any self-paced course online, and organisations can book trainer-led courses for teams, in person or online, through the Experrt Academy.
More ai courses are listed on the self-paced ai courses for professionals page.
THERE IS A NEXT CHAPTER.
Start today, and finish with
the team AI rule your organisation can use.
Checkout takes an email address and a card, and access begins as soon as payment is confirmed. When you finish, you sign a record that names you and the team AI rule, which anyone you choose can verify online. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.