Co-Designing a Justice-Centered Organizational AI Use Policy

The Equity & AI Learning Series is a six-session collaborative learning initiative led by Cooperation Canada, in partnership with Salanga, created in response to the rapid adoption of AI across the non-profit and international cooperation sector.

How can organizations move from broad AI ethics principles to practical guidance for how AI should and should not be used?

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in the development sector, many teams already use AI to draft content, summarize information, analyze data and support proposals. Yet the policies and guidance needed to ensure that this use is responsible, consistent and aligned with organizational values are often missing.

The fourth session of the Equity & AI Learning Series focused on this in-depth, by exploring how organizations can move beyond high-level AI ethics and develop practical, justice-centered policies that guide AI use. Led by Dr. Nasreen Rajani, participants reflected on their existing practices, the challenges they face when developing and implementing policies, and navigated ideas about creating meaningful AI policies, that usable and relevant in practice.

The discussion highlighted that the central question is no longer simply whether organizations should use AI, but instead, organizations must also consider what they are using it for, whether that use aligns with their mission and values, who participates in decisions, what risks may arise and where clear limits or areas of non-use are needed. The session also emphasized the importance of mapping how AI is already being used, while establishing clear boundaries for use and non-use that explains what is permitted, what requires caution and review, and what is prohibited.

Overall, the session demonstrated that a justice-centered AI policy is not simply a document about technology. It is a practical mechanism for making decisions about responsibility, power, risk and accountability. When grounded in organizational values and embedded into daily work, an AI policy can help staff use technology more intentionally while protecting data, communities and the integrity of the work.

For organizations and professionals developing or refining their own approach to AI use, we have captured the session’s key lessons, practical steps and implementation guidance in the free learning material below.