Business programme
Start-Up, Scale-Up by Lloyds Bank Academy
Using AI responsibly
Learn about smart, safe and fair use of AI.
Introduction to 'Using AI responsibly'
Have you ever used AI to write a message, plan a trip, answer a question or create an image? AI is becoming part of everyday life, helping us work, learn, create and make decisions more quickly.
But while AI can be incredibly useful, it's not always accurate, fair or secure. That's why it's important to understand how to use AI responsibly.
In this lesson, we’ll explore ways to do this, to help you feel safer and more confident when you use AI tools and features.
What you'll learn
- How to protect your personal information when using AI.
- The ownership, copyright and usage permissions to be aware of.
- Why you need to let others know about AI-generated content you use.
- The environmental impact of using AI.
How long it takes
9 minutes
What is responsible AI?
Chapter 1
How long it takes
1 minute
What does responsible use look like?
AI can help with everyday tasks, but it isn't perfect. Responsible use means using AI thoughtfully while applying your own judgement. So, what does that look like?
Here are some examples where you might use AI to help you:
Planning a holiday
You’ll need to check prices, opening times and travel requirements.
Looking for ideas on keeping fit
You wouldn’t want to share medical history or other personal details.
Writing an article for a community newsletter
You’ll need to check content for accuracy and copyright permissions.
Creating visuals for social media posts
You should let people know when images are AI-generated.
These all show different ways that you can use AI more responsibly. We’ll explore these ways over the next few chapters.
Remember
AI can help you, but you are responsible for the decisions you make based on its suggestions.
Data privacy
Chapter 2
How long it takes
1 minute
Protecting your privacy
AI tools are created and managed by companies that process the information you provide. While these companies work hard to keep data secure, no online system is completely risk-free. So, think carefully before giving information to an AI tool.
Avoid giving out:
Any personal financial details
Medical informaton
Children's data
Information about your workplace
What's safe to share?
it’s hard to know what is and isn’t OK to share with AI. Especially when you want to get personalised answers or suggestions.
For instance, you might want ideas on how to improve your fitness levels or get into healthy eating habits. Some tools won’t need much personal information here – but their advice may not be tailored to your needs. So you may be asked for information like your height, weight or body measurements. Some people are OK sharing that kind of information, others aren’t. It’s a personal choice.
Sometimes, it’s hard to know what is and isn’t OK to share with AI. Especially when you want to get personalised answers or suggestions.
For instance, you might want ideas on how to improve your fitness levels or get into healthy eating habits. Some tools won’t need much personal information here – but their advice may not be tailored to your needs. So you may be asked for information like your height, weight or body measurements. Some people are OK sharing that kind of information, others aren’t. It’s a personal choice.
Other AI health tools may want to know more personal details – like your medical history, details of symptoms or specific medical needs. These are all higher risk, in terms of keeping your private details private.
Everyone is different in terms of what they’re comfortable with sharing, but to help you, we have a simple rule:
If it’s information that you wouldn’t want made public, don’t share it with AI.
Copyright and ownership
Chapter 3
How long it takes
1 minute
What is copyright?
Copyright is a legal protection that gives people certain rights over things they create.
For instance, say you take a photo and post it online. Even though other people can see that photo, they don’t automatically have the right to:
Copy it
Sell it
Put it on their website
Use it in advertising
Because you created the photo, you own it. Copyright gives you control over how it's used.
Why copyright matters when you use AI
AI tools can help you create text, images, videos and more. But remember, these tools are trained on large amounts of information and content. Sometimes what they produce can look very similar to content owned by someone else. And if you go ahead and use that content, you’re responsible for checking and complying with any copyright rules that apply to it.
Copyright is usually linked to content created by humans. If AI creates content for you, it’s still good to check that you’re OK to use, change and share this with others.
You can find this information in the AI tool’s terms of use.
How to be responsible with this content
Here’s our list of what to do and what to avoid.
Do:
- Check the content for originality.
- Credit any external sources.
- Add your own expertise and insights.
- Check the AI platform’s terms of use.
Avoid:
- Uploading copyrighted content without permission.
- Asking AI to create ‘in the style of’ someone.
- Removing watermarks or ownership information.
- Taking someone else’s work and claiming it as your own.
Bias and fairness
Chapter 4
How long it takes
1 minute
How can AI be biased or unfair?
You may think that, because AI is just a type of technology, that it doesn’t have opinions or preferences in the same way as humans. But AI learns from data that has been created by people. And if that data has content that is biased or favours certain people, places or things above others, this may be reflected in the answers AI gives.
So, if something feels unfair, untrue or inappropriate, look more closely and research from other sources.
To find out the different ways that AI can make mistakes, what to look out for and the checks you can make, see our ‘Checking AI’ lesson.
Transparency about AI
Chapter 5
How long it takes
2 minutes
Transparency and AI use
Transparency in AI means being open and honest about your use of AI. That includes telling people when you’ve used it for something you’re sharing with them. It’s also about checking important information before you do share it.
Think of it like the information you see on food packaging. People should be able to understand what they’re getting, to make informed choices about whether it's right for them.
Ask yourself: If someone knew AI helped me create this, would that change how they interpret, trust, or evaluate it?
If the answer is yes, it's usually worth making it clear that AI was involved.
How to be transparent when using AI
-
If you use AI to help you write, edit, design or create content, let others know.
For example:
- "I used an AI tool to help write this article."
- "This image was generated using AI."
You don't need to tell people every time you use AI to check your grammar or reword a sentence, but if AI was key to the final output, it's good practice to be open about it.
-
This is like what we mentioned in the last chapter about crediting others for their work. If an essay, image, video or piece of artwork was largely created by AI, you need to let people know, rather than implying that you created it entirely by yourself.
Transparency isn’t about downplaying your own work. Just acknowledging the role that AI played.
-
AI can be helpful, but it can also be wrong.
A transparent approach is:
- "AI suggested this answer, but I'm not completely sure it's correct."
- "This was generated by AI and may contain errors."
-
If you're sharing facts, advice, or recommendations that came from AI, take a moment to check them.
Being transparent can sound like:
- "I got this information from an AI assistant, but I checked it with reliable sources."
- "AI helped me research this, and I double-checked the key facts."
-
AI can create convincing images, videos, audio, and text that look like the real thing.
If you share this content, help others understand what they're seeing:
- "This is an AI-generated image."
- "This video contains AI-created elements."
- "This voice recording was generated using AI."
Sustainability
Chapter 6
How long it takes
1 minute
AI and the environment
AI may feel invisible, but every question, image, video, or response uses computing power. Behind the scenes, powerful computers in large data centres process your request and generate a response. They use large amounts of resources to do this. The more complex the task, the more resources they use.
These systems need:
Electricity
To power thousands of servers.
Cooling systems
To prevent equipment from overheating.
Data centres
That operate around the clock.
Water in some locations
To help cool equipment.
If you want to find out more about how AI impacts the environment, you might want to start with these articles from Carbon Brief and the BBC.
How to use AI more sustainably
Some people don’t use AI or try to limit their use of it, because of the environmental impact. It’s a personal choice. But, just as we try not to waste food, water, or electricity, we can also use AI thoughtfully.
For example, you may want to:
- Use AI when it genuinely saves time or helps solve a problem.
- Be clear in your prompts so fewer attempts are needed.
- Reuse and refine existing content instead of generating multiple versions unnecessarily.
- Choose the simplest tool that meets your needs.
Idea
Before using AI, ask yourself: "Is this helping me achieve something useful, or am I generating content I'll never use?"
Keeping up with AI changes
Chapter 7
How long it takes
2 minutes
The pace of AI change
AI is developing quickly. Think back a few years. AI tools were giving answers to simple questions. Now, those same tools are drafting documents, creating content and more.
It’s even changing how search engines work.
Research from 2025 (PDF, 3.4Mb) showed:
30% of online searches had started to show AI overviews at the top of the screen.
That year, ChatGPT became the second-largest search service.
Why it’s good to stay up to date
With such a fast pace of change, it can be hard to keep up. The way AI works today may be quite different a year from now. But it’s important to stay updated.
This doesn’t mean you need to become a technical expert. Think of it like driving a car. You don’t need to know how the engine is built, but you do need to understand new road rules, dashboard warnings and safety features.
Keeping up with how AI works can help you use it more effectively, safely and confidently.
How to stay updated
So, how do you keep up with all these changes? We have a few tips on how you can do this:
When you start using a new AI tool, take a few minutes to understand:
- What information it collects.
- How it uses your data.
- Its limitations.
- Any recent changes or updates.
- What information it collects.
- How it uses your data.
- Its limitations.
- Any recent changes or updates.
Stay informed about AI changes in general:
- Follow technology updates from reliable news sources.
- Learn from trusted websites and experts.
- Regularly check the privacy settings and terms of service for tools you use.
- Be interested in AI developments, but stay sensible and cautious.
- Follow technology updates from reliable news sources.
- Learn from trusted websites and experts.
- Regularly check the privacy settings and terms of service for tools you use.
- Be interested in AI developments, but stay sensible and cautious.
Test your knowledge
Try again - that's not quite right!
If AI is used to create content, people should know about it.
That's right!
Being transparent about AI-generated content helps people understand where content came from and make informed decisions about it.
Want to learn more?
Artificial Intelligence
Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 11th August 2026.