As artificial intelligence continues to be integrated into every aspect of business, the key to exam for the future your brand isn't just about adoption, it's about aligning it with your core values. It's hard to escape the feeling that today's AI technologies will fundamentally change our working lives in the future. As an entrepreneur, it feels like a dizzying array of AI considerations, but here's another one you might not have considered: the branding impact of AI adoption.

As an entrepreneur, you may feel deeply concerned about your ability to address AI due to a lack of expertise or budget. However, whether your company adopts these new technologies or not, your company will be affected because the public is already forming opinions about AI and soon, people will start to assume that all companies are using AI. In November 2023, Pew Research found that 52% of Americans were more worried than excited about AI. And it's possible that with all the exposure that Americans are getting, they are getting more tired and tired of AI.

When I first started PR agency for emerging industries in 2008, we became able to talk to businesses about integrating social media into their communications. Many businesses were understandably skeptical. But while businesses remained skeptical, social media users were full steam ahead and eventually, businesses had to embrace the use of social media.

AI is unlike other social media, where the public bought into it before it got bad, but companies were slower to adopt it. With AI, the public is skeptical even before it's fully integrated into our online lives, but many companies are full steam ahead. UA cynicism combined with growth corporate mistrust makes AI different for businesses. This unbridled skepticism can bleed into your company's reputation in many ways. Whether you're already using AI today or thinking about it, how can you protect against any AI brand reputation risks?

From a brand reputation perspective, the solution is value-driven AI adoption policies. A values-driven policy is a reflection of you brand values.

There are three main competitive advantages of a value-driven AI policy:

1. Consistency over technology. As an entrepreneur, you may or may not be an AI expert, but you are an expert in your company. By relying on an AI policy that reflects your brand values, you emphasize your brand's strengths over the unknown future of technology.
2. Increased confidence. By keeping technology in check with human values, your company can increase trust from employees, customers, partners and investors while remaining nimble enough to integrate emerging technologies like AI.
3. Staying agile. A values-driven policy also creates longevity that remains agile in the face of rapidly changing technologies.
4. Competitive advantage. The approval of value-driven politics early sets you apart as a leader in the ethical use of AI that can attract customers and talent.

Developing a values-driven AI policy does not have to be difficult. In fact, the more deeply engaged you are with your brand values, the easier it will be. Consider these three pillars of a values-driven AI policy.

Related: How to implement ethical AI practices in your company

Get people involved

While many say that AI will be “smarter” than humans, we naturally understand what AI lacks. Consider opposite reaction Google experienced running an ad showing a little girl writing a letter to her hero in AI during the 2024 Olympics; Google had to pull the ads. Even AI recognizes that humans are uniquely defined by our humanities, our sensibilities, our mortality, our spirituality, our emotions, our experiences, and our responses. The totality of human experience is defined and enriched by actual human experience. AI may save us time, but AI will always struggle to contextualize these uniquely human elements.

The first step is to develop an internal AI council, made up of reputable stakeholders from HR to marketing. Including multiple perspectives will help ensure that your brand and strategic goals are fully represented. Further, a council increases brand trust, internally and externally.

Additionally, part of your values-driven AI policy should articulate the importance of human oversight of AI and the dangers of relying on generative AI, which sometimes contains biases, errors, and outright fiction.

Transparent

Development of technologies is just that, development. Adoption of any new technology it is expected to some extent and mistakes can be more easily forgiven. However, it is important to be transparent with stakeholders about where and how you are adopting new technologies.

Your values-driven policy can make it clear that you strive to make decisions in line with your brand's value system. However, you may fail sometimes, and when you do, you will accept it with a values-driven solution. Falling on your brand's sword beforehand adds humanity to your brand, which makes it more relatable to people.

This is one area where a values-driven policy is particularly scalable, because instead of constantly updating a policy with specifics, you can articulate the considerations you will make before adopting AI technology. For example, you can articulate your brand commitment to exposing sensitive data and describe the value-driven considerations your brand takes to do so. This is less of a legal contract and more of a social compact you have with your stakeholders.

Related: I teach AI and Entrepreneurship. Here's how entrepreneurs can use AI to better understand their target customers.

Simplicity

Trust is not built with 50 page user agreements written by lawyers for lawyers. Keep your AI policy as values-driven and common sense as possible. Breaking it down into three main values ​​is ideal.

Simplicity also supports flexibility and scalability. Breaking it down into broad values ​​creates a roadmap for future decision-making and empowers the company to stay agile while staying true to its values.

Taking forward AI and technological skepticism it's a good move for both your brand today and your brand tomorrow. Plus, there's the added benefit of using this moment in time to reinforce your company and brand values ​​to customers, employees and investors. A values-driven AI policy allows you to celebrate the exciting aspects of AI and the humanizing values ​​of your company, giving you the best of both worlds.