How to Adopt AI Safely: 3 Good Data Habits for Business Leaders | EXOS AI Series

Smart AI adoption starts with good data habits. In this session, Jeff Cristee, Chief Growth Officer at EXOS, explains how business leaders can see which AI tools their teams already use, protect sensitive company data, and roll out AI with confidence in the first 30 days. KEY TAKEAWAYS Most employees are already using AI at work. Adoption came in through the front door, not through IT, and that's a great starting point. Habit 1: Know what your data is doing. Review who can access sensitive employee, customer, and financial data, because AI tools surface everything a user has permission to see. Habit 2: Know what's in use. Run discovery on which AI tools people use before you write policy. The list is usually longer than expected. Habit 3: Give people a clear yes. Name approved tools, explain what data can go into them, and make it easy to request new ones. Use an enterprise AI agreement for corporate data, so the provider is contractually committed not to train its models on your data. Good data habits pay off twice: the same work that makes AI safe also makes AI answers cleaner and more useful. YOUR FIRST 30 DAYS WITH AI Week 1 – Ask: Three questions to your team about the AI tools they use. Week 2 – Look: Run discovery on AI applications and how broadly files are shared. Week 3 – Decide: Name your approved tools and write a one-page guide. Week 4 – Tell people: Share the plan clearly from leadership. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: Is data uploaded to AI tools legally discoverable? A: Yes. AI activity can be discoverable, which is why an enterprise agreement and a clear data policy matter. Q: Can you block employees from uploading PII into AI tools? A: Yes. Monitoring tools can detect and redact or block sensitive data, like Social Security numbers, before it reaches an unapproved AI tool. Q: Does AI usage increase the risk of exposing sensitive data? A: Any new tool adds some risk. The goal is to decide your acceptable level of risk and pair a clear AI policy with technical controls. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 0:05 How AI adoption came in through the front door 1:25 What the research shows about AI use at work 2:35 Do your people know what good AI use looks like? 3:34 Habit 1: Know what your data is doing 5:24 Habit 2: Know which AI tools are in use 6:35 Habit 3: Give people a clear yes on AI 7:50 Why good data habits pay off twice 9:14 What AI usage visibility looks like 10:43 What an AI discovery review usually turns up 12:19 Your first 30 days of AI adoption 14:25 Three AI questions to take back to your team 15:26 What's next in the series 16:22 Live Q&A: legal discoverability, blocking PII, and AI risk SPEAKERS Jeff Cristee, Chief Growth Officer, EXOS Cody Tyler, CISO, EXOS Devin Breen, AI Practice Lead, EXOS NEXT IN THE EXOS AI SERIES: FROM INVESTMENT TO IMPACT Session 2: Getting More From Your AI Investment | Thursday, October 8, 11:00 AM ET Session 3: Turning AI Usage into Measurable Impact | Thursday, October 29, 11:00 AM ET ABOUT EXOS EXOS is an Indianapolis-based IT, cybersecurity, talent, and AI services company. We partner with organizations to adopt technology with confidence and turn it into measurable business outcomes. Ready to talk through your AI roadmap? Connect with our team at weareexos.com. #AIAdoption #AIGovernance #DataSecurity