Free template

AI risk assessment template

An AI risk assessment asks 4 things about one specific use: what the AI does, what could go wrong, what a mistake would cost, and who checks the output before it matters. This one fits on a page. Fill it in before a new use starts, and again when the tool or the process changes.

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AI risk assessmentFilled in as an exampleSection 1Section 2Section 3

Before you start

How to use it

AI risk assessment

One page for each use of AI, filled in before it goes live.

Download as text

Use: [what the AI does, in one sentence] · Owner: [name] · Date: [date]

What it does

It reads [sources] and produces [output], which is used for [purpose] by [who].

What could go wrong

Risks
What could go wrongWhat it would costHow it is caught
[It states something that isn’t in the source][A wrong figure reaches a client][A person checks figures against the source]
[It sees information it shouldn’t][A confidentiality breach][Access limited to named folders]
[It misses an item][A late follow-up][The run lists what it looked at]

Who checks

[Role] reviews [which outputs] before [they are sent, filed or relied on]. Outputs that are not reviewed: [which, and why that is acceptable].

Decision

[Go ahead / Go ahead with limits / Not yet]. Review again on [date], or when the tool or the process changes.

Yours to fill in

Reviewed October 10, 2026 · not legal advice

Questions we get asked

How is this different from the vendor assessment?

The vendor assessment is about the tool. This is about what you use it for. A safe tool can still be used in a risky way.

Who should fill it in?

The person who owns the process, with whoever will check the output.

Does it satisfy a regulator?

It shows you thought about it and wrote it down. Whether that is enough depends on your regulator, so check.

Goes with this

Your brief · 1 of 3

What brings you here?

See what we’d build first at a firm like yours.

Start with one process.

A working session on how your firm actually runs. You leave knowing the first process worth fixing.