Start with low-risk, high-effort tasks
The safest first uses of AI are jobs that take time but are easy to check: sorting email, drafting routine replies, summarising documents. You stay in control of anything that goes out.
Keep a person in charge
Good AI tools draft and suggest; people approve. Look for tools where nothing is sent to customers or supporters without someone checking it first.
Know where your data goes
Before connecting any tool to your email or files, check what data it stores, where, and whether it's used to train AI models. You should be able to disconnect at any time.
Be open with the people you serve
If you use AI to help answer enquiries, say so. Honesty builds trust, and a real person should always be easy to reach.