Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of everyday business operations. Employees are using tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and Claude to write emails, summarize documents, research information, and improve productivity.

But simply giving employees access to AI isn’t enough. They also need to understand how to use it responsibly—and how to recognize the security risks that come with it.

AI training should be part of your company’s onboarding process and ongoing cybersecurity awareness program. The goal isn’t to discourage employees from using AI. It’s to help them use it productively without putting company data, customers, or systems at risk.

1. Make AI Training Part of Employee Onboarding

When a new employee joins your organization, they should understand your expectations for using technology—including AI.

Don’t assume employees already know which tools are approved or what information is safe to share. Even experienced professionals may be unfamiliar with the security and privacy considerations of business AI platforms.

During onboarding, explain:

• Which AI tools are approved: Give employees a clear list of tools they can use for business purposes.
• What information must stay private: Explain why confidential business information, customer records, passwords, financial data, and controlled information should never be entered into unapproved AI tools.
• How to use AI appropriately: Provide examples of acceptable tasks, such as brainstorming, drafting general communications, or summarizing non-sensitive information.
• When human review is required: Employees should check AI-generated information for accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness before using or sharing it.
• How to report concerns: Make sure employees know who to contact if they accidentally share sensitive information or encounter suspicious AI-related activity.

These expectations should align with your organization’s AI acceptable-use policy. If you haven’t established one yet, start there. Our previous article, Does Your Business Need an AI Acceptable-Use Policy? Yes. explains why clear guidelines matter.

2. Teach Employees How to Recognize AI-Enabled Phishing and Fraud

AI doesn’t just help businesses work more efficiently. Cybercriminals can also use it to make scams more convincing.

Traditional phishing emails often contained obvious warning signs, such as spelling mistakes, awkward wording, or generic greetings. AI can help attackers create polished, personalized messages that look and sound legitimate.

Employees should understand that suspicious communications may arrive through more than email. They can appear in text messages, collaboration platforms, phone calls, or video meetings.

Training should cover several important threats:

AI-generated phishing: Attackers can use AI to write convincing emails that imitate company leaders, coworkers, vendors, or customers. These messages may request credentials, sensitive information, or urgent action.

Voice cloning and deepfake impersonation: AI can generate audio or video that imitates a real person. An employee might receive a call that sounds like it comes from an executive asking for an urgent payment or a video message that appears to show a trusted colleague.

Business email compromise and payment fraud: Criminals may impersonate executives or vendors to request wire transfers, change payment instructions, or obtain financial information. AI-generated messages can make these requests more believable.

The FBI has warned that criminals are using AI-generated content, including cloned voices and convincing messages, to support fraud schemes. Its guidance emphasizes employee education and independent verification of suspicious communications.

The important lesson for employees: Don’t trust a request simply because it looks, sounds, or appears to come from someone you know.

3. Establish Simple Verification Rules

Employees need practical steps they can follow when something doesn’t feel right.

For example, train your team to:

• Verify unexpected payment requests using a known phone number or a separate communication channel.
• Confirm changes to vendor banking or payment information before processing them.
• Be cautious of urgent requests for passwords, MFA codes, confidential files, or financial information.
• Avoid clicking unexpected links or opening suspicious attachments.
• Report unusual emails, calls, messages, or video requests to the appropriate IT or security contact.
• Pause when a request involves secrecy, urgency, or a departure from normal business procedures.

These rules are especially important for employees in finance, HR, purchasing, executive support, and other roles that regularly handle sensitive information or approve transactions.

Make reporting easy, too. Employees should feel comfortable raising concerns—even if they aren’t certain a message is malicious or they have already clicked a link.

4. Keep AI and Cybersecurity Training Ongoing

AI tools and cybercriminal tactics continue to evolve. A single training session during onboarding won’t prepare employees for every new risk they may encounter.

Instead, make AI security part of your ongoing awareness program.

Consider incorporating:

• Short monthly training sessions: Cover one topic at a time, such as safe prompting, phishing, deepfakes, or protecting confidential information.
• Realistic phishing simulations: Help employees practice identifying suspicious messages in a safe environment.
• Department-specific examples: Finance employees may need training on payment fraud, while HR teams may need examples involving fake resumes, applicant information, or impersonation.
• Policy reminders: Reinforce approved AI tools, data-handling expectations, and reporting procedures.
• Updates when technology changes: Introduce new guidance when your organization adopts an AI tool or changes how employees are expected to use it.

NIST’s guidance on building cybersecurity and privacy learning programs emphasizes ongoing education that adapts to an organization’s needs. Training should be more than a once-a-year requirement—it should help employees develop habits they can apply in their everyday work.

5. Don’t Rely on Training Alone

Employee education is an important part of AI security, but it cannot replace the technical safeguards that protect your organization.

Your business should also have appropriate access controls, multifactor authentication, endpoint protection, email security, monitoring, and data protection policies in place.

For government contractors, training is particularly important when employees handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or other sensitive contract information. Employees need to understand which systems and tools are authorized for that information and how their responsibilities fit into the organization’s security and compliance requirements.

A policy or training session alone does not establish CUI compliance. Your organization’s technology environment, contractual obligations, and applicable security requirements must all be considered.

How V2 Systems Can Help Your Business Use AI Securely

AI can create real opportunities for businesses, but successful adoption requires more than choosing a platform and giving employees access.

Your organization needs a practical approach that considers employee training, approved tools, data protection, security policies, and ongoing oversight.

V2 Systems’ Managed AI Services for Business can help organizations navigate the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption. We can help you evaluate your AI needs, consider security and data protection, and develop a more informed approach to bringing AI into your workplace.

We also understand that AI security is part of a larger cybersecurity strategy. From managed security services to employee awareness and ongoing IT support, V2 Systems helps businesses strengthen their technology environments.

Ready to help your employees use AI more confidently and securely?

Contact V2 Systems to discuss your organization’s AI and cybersecurity needs.

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