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39 free AI governance templates for security and GRC teams

Free AI Governance& Policy Templates

Ready-to-deploy AI governance templates, AI policy templates, risk assessment templates, and vendor evaluation templates. Built for CISOs, IT directors, and GRC leads who need a defensible AI governance programme without starting from scratch.

Get all 39 templates in one ZIP. Policies, registers, checklists and rollout plans.

Start here

The eight AI governance templates security teams reach for first

Stand up the core of an AI governance programme first: an AI policy template, a governance structure, a risk assessment, and an inventory of what AI is actually running. Then add the vendor-risk layer that procurement and security teams need. Browse the full library of 39 templates below.

AI governance foundation

AI vendor risk management

Editions

Industry and regional editions

Adapted versions of our most-used policies, rewritten for specific jurisdictions and professions rather than lightly find-and-replaced.

Governance & ReportingDOCX · Free

AI System Inventory Template

A practical template for cataloging AI tools, embedded AI features, custom models, automations, and AI agents. Track owners, data sources, risk tier, controls, and audit evidence.

Includes

  • Single source of truth for AI usage
  • Risk tiering (Low/Med/High/Critical)
  • Data flow + subprocessor tracking
  • Controls + evidence fields for audits
  • +1 more
Also available: XLSXMD
Risk & AssessmentDOCX · Free

Bias Testing and Fairness Guide

A practical guide to testing AI systems for bias and fairness. Covers metrics, test design, documentation, and remediation - built for security, risk, and compliance teams.

Includes

  • Fairness testing checklist
  • Suggested metrics and reporting structure
  • Audit-ready documentation guidance
  • Remediation and regression monitoring
Also available: MD
Vendor & ProcurementDOCX · Free

AI Vendor Contract Clauses

Pre-drafted contract clauses for AI vendor agreements covering data usage, training restrictions, audit rights, incident notification, change management, and liability.

Includes

  • Training-on-your-data restriction
  • Retention/deletion SLAs
  • Audit rights and evidence
  • Incident notification window
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Governance & ReportingDOCX · Free

Model Documentation Template

A structured template for documenting AI models: intended use, training data, evaluation, limitations, controls, monitoring, and change management.

Includes

  • Consistent model documentation
  • Bias/fairness + security testing fields
  • Monitoring + audit trail fields
  • Change management + rollback plan
Also available: MD
Security & Incident ResponseDOCX · Free

AI Agent Deployment Checklist

A pre-deployment checklist for AI agents that take autonomous actions across your systems. 40+ items across security assessment, permissions scoping, guardrails, monitoring, and incident response.

Includes

  • 40+ pre-go-live checklist items
  • Least-privilege permission scoping
  • Prompt injection + guardrail controls
  • Kill switch + incident response checks
  • +1 more
Also available: MD
Security & Incident ResponseDOCX · Free

AI Incident Response Playbook

A complete playbook for detecting, classifying, containing, and recovering from AI security incidents - data leakage, prompt injection, AI agent compromise, and model manipulation.

Includes

  • 4-level severity classification
  • Containment + evidence preservation steps
  • Internal, customer + regulator comms templates
  • NDB / GDPR notification timing guidance
  • +1 more
Also available: MD
Compliance & RegulatoryDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

EU AI Act Risk Classification Template

Classify every AI system you use or build against the EU AI Act's four risk tiers. Includes a decision tree, a system register, and the obligations that apply to each tier.

Includes

  • Four-tier classification decision tree
  • System register for your AI portfolio
  • Per-tier obligations + compliance actions
  • Annex III high-risk use case reference
  • +1 more
Also available: MD
Compliance & RegulatoryDOCX · Free

ISO 42001 Gap Analysis Template

Assess your readiness for ISO 42001 AI Management System certification across all clauses (4-10). Rate maturity, capture evidence, identify gaps, and build a remediation roadmap.

Includes

  • Covers ISO 42001 Clauses 4-10
  • Four-point maturity rating scale
  • Evidence + gap action columns
  • Remediation roadmap with owners + dates
  • +1 more
Also available: MD
PoliciesDOCX · Free

AI Acceptable Use Policy Template

A comprehensive template for establishing AI usage guidelines across your organization. Covers approved tools, data classification rules, prohibited activities, security requirements, IP considerations, and enforcement procedures.

Includes

  • Data classification matrix (Public/Internal/Confidential/Restricted)
  • Approved vs prohibited tools framework
  • New tool approval request process
  • Employee acknowledgment form
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Risk & AssessmentDOCX · Free

AI Risk Assessment Checklist

A structured checklist for evaluating your organization's AI risk posture across 7 critical domains. Score your compliance, identify gaps, and prioritize remediation with built-in risk scoring.

Includes

  • 53 assessment items across 7 security domains
  • Built-in scoring with risk level guide
  • Data security & privacy evaluation
  • Shadow AI discovery assessment
  • +2 more
Also available: XLSXMD
Security & Incident ResponseDOCX · Free

Shadow AI Incident Response Plan

A complete incident response plan template specifically designed for Shadow AI security incidents. Covers detection through recovery with severity levels, communication plans, and post-incident review procedures.

Includes

  • 4-level severity classification system
  • 5-phase response process (Detect → Contain → Investigate → Recover → Review)
  • Internal & external communication matrices
  • Evidence preservation checklist
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Vendor & ProcurementDOCX · Free

AI Vendor Security Evaluation Scorecard

A weighted scoring framework for evaluating AI vendors across 5 security domains: data security, access control, compliance, AI-specific security, and operational security. Includes recommendation matrix and risk identification.

Includes

  • 35 evaluation criteria across 5 security domains
  • Weighted scoring system (customizable)
  • Approval/rejection recommendation matrix
  • AI-specific security evaluation section
  • +2 more
Also available: XLSXMD
PoliciesDOCX · Free

AI Data Classification Guide

A practical guide defining what data can and cannot be used with AI tools. Includes 4-level classification system, decision flowchart, common scenarios, and file upload rules, the essential reference for every employee.

Includes

  • 4-level data classification with AI-specific rules
  • Visual decision flowchart for quick reference
  • Prompt content rules table
  • File upload classification guide
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Governance & ReportingDOCX · Free

AI Governance Committee Charter

A complete charter template for establishing an AI governance committee with defined roles, responsibilities, decision-making processes, meeting cadence, and success metrics.

Includes

  • 7 required committee member roles defined
  • 5 key responsibility areas with checklists
  • Decision-making and escalation processes
  • Monthly and quarterly reporting templates
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Training & EnablementDOCX · Free

Employee AI Training Acknowledgment Form

A structured acknowledgment form confirming employees have completed AI training and understand key policies. Includes role-specific sections for managers, developers, customer-facing, and HR roles.

Includes

  • Training completion tracking
  • Key principles acknowledgment checklist
  • Role-specific sections (Managers, Devs, Customer-facing, HR)
  • Signature and manager confirmation
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Risk & AssessmentDOCX · Free

AI Governance Maturity Assessment

Evaluate your organization's AI governance maturity across 5 pillars: Policy & Strategy, Risk Management, Security & Technology, Compliance & Legal, and People & Culture. Includes improvement roadmap template.

Includes

  • 30 capabilities across 5 governance pillars
  • 5-level maturity model (Initial → Optimized)
  • Gap analysis and evidence tracking
  • Improvement roadmap template (Quick wins → Long-term)
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Vendor & ProcurementDOCX · Free

AI Tool Approval Request Form

A structured request form for employees to submit new AI tool adoption requests. Covers business justification, data assessment, security questions, integration requirements, and multi-level approval workflow.

Includes

  • Structured business justification section
  • Data classification impact assessment
  • Security questionnaire for vendor evaluation
  • Multi-level approval workflow (Manager → Security → Committee)
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Governance & ReportingDOCX · Free

AI Governance Monthly Report Template

A comprehensive monthly reporting template for AI governance teams. Covers tool inventory, security incidents, compliance status, training metrics, risk dashboard, and executive recommendations.

Includes

  • Executive summary with key metrics
  • Shadow AI activity tracking table
  • Security incident log and metrics
  • Regulatory compliance status dashboard
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Vendor & ProcurementDOCX · Free

AI Vendor Security Questionnaire

A comprehensive security questionnaire with 68 questions across 8 domains for evaluating AI vendors. Includes scoring guidance, risk rating framework, and documentation checklist, the essential tool for procurement and security teams assessing AI vendor risk.

Includes

  • 68 questions across 8 security domains
  • Built-in 0-5 scoring with risk rating framework
  • AI model security section (prompt injection, bias, red-teaming)
  • Subprocessor and third-party risk management
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Training & EnablementDOCX · Free

AI Change Management Plan

A structured change management plan for rolling out AI tools and policies across your organization. Covers stakeholder analysis, communication strategy, training rollout, resistance management, and success measurement.

Includes

  • Stakeholder analysis and impact assessment
  • Phased rollout timeline with milestones
  • Communication plan with templates
  • Training and enablement schedule
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Vendor & ProcurementDOCX · Free

AI/ML Data Processing Agreement (DPA)

A ready-to-use data processing agreement template tailored for AI and machine learning vendors. Covers data processing terms, sub-processors, cross-border transfers, breach notification, and GDPR/CCPA compliance clauses.

Includes

  • GDPR and CCPA-aligned clauses
  • AI-specific data processing terms
  • Sub-processor management framework
  • Cross-border transfer mechanisms (SCCs)
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Training & EnablementDOCX · Free

AI Tools Employee Onboarding Guide

A step-by-step onboarding guide for new employees on approved AI tools, security practices, and company AI policies. Includes quick-start guides, do's and don'ts, and a first-week checklist.

Includes

  • Tool-by-tool setup and access instructions
  • Security do's and don'ts quick reference
  • Day 1-30 AI onboarding checklist
  • Common use case scenarios with examples
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Governance & ReportingDOCX · Free

AI Ethics Review Board Charter

Establish an AI Ethics Review Board with this comprehensive charter template. Defines mission, membership criteria, review processes, ethical principles, escalation procedures, and reporting requirements.

Includes

  • Mission and scope definition
  • Board membership and selection criteria
  • Ethical review submission process
  • Decision-making framework with principles
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Governance & ReportingDOCX · Free

AI Governance Executive Briefing Template

A concise executive briefing template for presenting AI governance status, risks, and recommendations to C-suite leadership and board members. Designed for quarterly board presentations.

Includes

  • One-page executive summary format
  • AI risk heatmap visualization guide
  • Compliance and regulatory scorecard
  • Budget and investment recommendations
  • +2 more
Also available: PPTXMD
Risk & AssessmentDOCX · Free

AI Model Validation Checklist

A thorough validation checklist for AI and ML models before production deployment. Covers bias testing, performance benchmarks, security validation, explainability checks, and ongoing monitoring requirements.

Includes

  • Model performance benchmarking criteria
  • Bias and fairness testing checklist
  • Security and adversarial robustness checks
  • Explainability and interpretability assessment
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Training & EnablementDOCX · Free

Enterprise Prompt Engineering Guidelines

Security-focused prompt engineering guidelines for enterprise teams. Covers safe prompting practices, data leakage prevention, prompt injection awareness, output validation, and approved prompt patterns for common business tasks.

Includes

  • 15+ approved prompt templates by use case
  • Data leakage prevention rules
  • Prompt injection awareness section
  • Output validation and review checklist
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Compliance & RegulatoryDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

AI Regulatory Compliance Tracker

Track compliance across major AI regulations including the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, and US state AI laws such as Texas TRAIGA and Colorado SB 26-189. Includes requirement mapping, gap analysis, and remediation tracking.

Includes

  • EU AI Act requirement mapping with post-omnibus deadlines
  • NIST AI RMF alignment tracker
  • ISO 42001 controls checklist
  • US state AI law tracking (TX, CO, IL, CA, UT, NYC)
  • +2 more
Also available: XLSXMD
Security & Incident ResponseDOCX · Free

AI Security Audit Checklist

A comprehensive security audit checklist for assessing AI systems and tools across your organization. Covers access controls, data protection, model security, API security, logging, and incident response readiness.

Includes

  • 60+ audit items across 6 security domains
  • Evidence requirement for each item
  • Access control and authentication checks
  • Data protection and encryption validation
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Vendor & ProcurementDOCX · Free

Third-Party AI Risk Assessment

Assess and manage risks from third-party AI integrations and embedded AI features in SaaS tools. Covers shadow AI discovery, data flow mapping, contractual requirements, and ongoing monitoring procedures.

Includes

  • Third-party AI feature discovery checklist
  • Data flow mapping for AI integrations
  • Contractual AI clause requirements
  • Risk scoring and prioritization matrix
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Risk & AssessmentDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

AI Impact Assessment Template

Assess the impact of an AI system on the people it affects, covering EU AI Act Article 27 FRIAs, algorithmic impact assessments, and voluntary reviews. Includes a screening questionnaire, rated risk register, and approval sign-off.

Includes

  • Screening: when an assessment is required
  • EU AI Act Article 27 FRIA coverage
  • Rated risk register with worked examples
  • Human oversight and mitigation tracking
  • +1 more
Also available: MD
Compliance & RegulatoryDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

NIST AI RMF Gap Analysis Template

Assess your AI risk management against all 19 categories of NIST AI RMF 1.0 (GOVERN, MAP, MEASURE, MANAGE). Rate maturity, capture evidence, and build a prioritized remediation roadmap.

Includes

  • Covers all 4 functions and 19 categories
  • Four-point maturity rating scale
  • Evidence, gaps, actions, and owner columns
  • Generative AI Profile (NIST AI 600-1) overlay
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Risk & AssessmentXLSX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

AI Risk Register Template

A working Excel register for AI risk: 30 pre-loaded risks across data leakage, shadow AI, vendors, model behavior, and agentic AI, with 5x5 scoring and automatic color-coded ratings.

Includes

  • 30 pre-loaded AI risks in 8 categories
  • 5x5 likelihood and impact scoring
  • Automatic inherent + residual scores
  • Dropdowns for category and status
  • +2 more
Also available: DOCXMD
Risk & AssessmentDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

Shadow AI Employee Survey

Survey your workforce about real AI usage with a no-blame amnesty framing. 30 ready-to-use questions plus an analysis guide and a simple shadow AI exposure score.

Includes

  • Ready-to-send amnesty introduction message
  • 30 questions across 8 sections, types marked
  • Multi-select lists of common AI tools
  • Data-classification and account-type questions
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Compliance & RegulatoryDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

AI Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) Template

A GDPR Article 35 DPIA built for AI systems. Screen whether a DPIA is required, document training and inference data flows, and assess risks to data subjects with pre-seeded AI risks, mitigations, and sign-off records.

Includes

  • Article 35(3) and EDPB nine-criteria screening
  • AI triggers: training, automated decisions, monitoring, RAG
  • Training vs inference data flow mapping
  • Ten pre-seeded risks to data subjects
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Training & EnablementDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Checklist

A seven-phase readiness checklist for deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot safely. 57 evidence-backed items covering licensing prerequisites, oversharing cleanup, Purview controls, pilot design, and go/no-go gates before rollout.

Includes

  • 57 checklist items with why-it-matters and evidence columns
  • Permission sprawl and sharing-link cleanup workflow
  • Purview DLP, sensitivity label, and audit logging steps
  • Go/no-go gate tables before pilot and broad rollout
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Security & Incident ResponseDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

OWASP LLM Top 10 Security Checklist

A practical security review checklist covering all ten OWASP Top 10 risks for LLM applications, from prompt injection to unbounded consumption. Built for teams shipping LLM features and teams assessing vendor AI products.

Includes

  • All ten OWASP LLM risks (2025 edition) in plain English
  • 66 review items tagged Build, Buy, or Both
  • Evidence-to-collect list for every risk
  • Scoping register for built, bought, and embedded AI
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
PoliciesDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

AI Meeting Assistant Policy Template

Set the rules for AI notetakers, meeting bots, and built-in meeting AI like Zoom AI Companion and Teams Copilot. Includes consent and disclosure rules, prohibited meeting types, data retention, and ready-to-use disclosure scripts.

Includes

  • Approved vs prohibited tools register
  • All-party consent rules by jurisdiction
  • Prohibited meeting types (legal, HR, M&A, board)
  • Copy-paste disclosure scripts
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Compliance & RegulatoryDOCX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

ISO 42001 Statement of Applicability Template

Document all 38 ISO 42001 Annex A controls: applicability, justification, implementation status, evidence, and owner. Includes worked justification examples and a version-control and approval block.

Includes

  • All 38 Annex A controls (A.2 to A.10)
  • Justification guidance with worked examples
  • Implementation status and evidence columns
  • Coverage summary across nine control areas
  • +2 more
Also available: MD
Training & EnablementPPTX · Free · Updated Jul 2026

AI Security Awareness Training Deck

A 28-slide PowerPoint training that teaches employees to use AI safely: shadow AI, data rules, safe prompting, AI phishing, and deepfakes. Full speaker notes and a knowledge check included.

Includes

  • 28 slides with full speaker notes
  • Traffic-light data classification rules
  • Safe prompting do's and don'ts
  • AI phishing and deepfake awareness
  • +2 more
Also available: DOCXMD
Complete AI governance library

Get all 39 templates in one ZIP

Policies, registers, checklists and rollout plans, ready to customise.

  • 46 files (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)
  • 677 KB total
  • Updated August 2026
  • NIST AI RMF · ISO 42001 · EU AI Act aligned

Work email only. From Aona AI, the SOC 2 Type II certified Workforce AI Security platform.

Beyond templates

Need more than a downloadable policy?

Templates give you the paperwork. Aona gives you the enforcement. Discover every AI tool your team is already using, block policy violations before they become incidents, and produce continuous audit evidence across your workforce. A Word document won't catch the prompt that just left your browser.