If You Use AI at Work,
Treat It Like Email
The recent court ruling requiring OpenAI to preserve all user chat logs, even those users had previously deleted, should serve as a wake-up call for every professional using AI in the workplace. Whether individuals leverage tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude for writing, research, ideation, or strategic analysis, these interactions are increasingly treated as permanent digital records. While many still perceive AI prompts as fleeting and casual, the legal and operational reality is shifting dramatically.
Large language models are no longer isolated tools for experimentation. They are now embedded in workflows, integrated into client deliverables, and influencing decisions. This new role requires fundamentally changing how organizations and professionals view AI-generated content. It is no longer appropriate to treat it as temporary or private. The better model is to treat it the same way we treat corporate email: as official business communication that may be subject to legal scrutiny, regulatory oversight, and long-term recordkeeping.
AI Outputs Are Now Part of the Legal Record
In May 2025, a U.S. magistrate judge ordered OpenAI to preserve all ChatGPT output logs in response to active litigation. This included data from free and paid users, even where users had intentionally deleted their conversations. While this case arose from a copyright dispute, it sets a powerful precedent that generative AI outputs are not immune to legal discovery. In other words, the content produced through these tools can be treated like email or internal documentation when a court finds it relevant to a case.
The implications are significant. Many users assumed their AI interactions were personal, private, or impermanent. Now, they are learning that these interactions may be stored, audited, and requested in a court of law. This is particularly concerning for professionals using AI in ways that directly impact clients, contracts, or corporate strategy. Without clear policies, organizations risk unintentionally exposing sensitive or proprietary information.
The Professional Standard Must Change
AI usage in the workplace must now be managed with the same discipline and caution as traditional digital communication channels. When professionals use large language models to generate content that influences decisions, drafts documents, or shapes external communications, they create material that may carry legal and reputational weight. Like email, AI content can be discoverable, attributable, and, if mishandled, damaging.
The tools may feel informal, but the context is not. If AI outputs are used to prepare internal memos, financial summaries, HR guidance, or client-facing reports, then the content generated is effectively part of the corporate record. It should be reviewed, retained appropriately, and governed under existing communication and compliance policies. This shift in perception is essential for protecting individual professionals and the organizations they represent.
Every Company Needs an AI Policy, Now
This evolving reality is just one example of why all companies must establish a formal AI policy regardless of size, industry, or current AI maturity. It is not enough to rely on personal discretion or informal norms. AI tools are now so powerful, accessible, and embedded in everyday business functions that their impact must be acknowledged and managed through documented guidelines.
A proper AI policy should clarify what tools are approved, how outputs may be used or stored, and what safeguards are in place to protect privacy, intellectual property, and compliance obligations. It should define acceptable use, outline training requirements, and establish oversight procedures proportional to the risks involved. Even if an organization is not using AI tools widely today, its employees, contractors, or vendors likely are. Failing to provide direction opens the door to inconsistency, liability, and preventable harm.
Moving Forward With Discipline and Clarity
The business world is quickly outgrowing the idea that AI is an experimental tool. The stakes become higher as these technologies become central to productivity, communication, and decision-making. Organizations that want to stay ahead must implement internal controls that match the new level of accountability. This starts with education, policy development, and leadership alignment.
Treating AI usage like email is not an exaggeration; it is a necessary shift in mindset. By applying the same standards we use for formal business communication to AI-generated content, we protect the integrity of our work, reduce legal exposure, and lay the groundwork for responsible innovation.
If your organization doesn’t have an AI policy, now is the time to create one. Not because it is fashionable, but because it is essential for operating responsibly in a digital world shaped by machine-generated content.