Institute of Excellence AI Use Policy
Date published: 4 October 2026
About this policy
The Institute of Excellence (IOE) is a business and tourism training and mentoring practice based in Melbourne and serving businesses and organisations across Australia. IOE works with small to medium businesses (SMEs), local government, tourism boards and registered training organisations. It gives business and tourism operators practical training and mentoring that meets them where they are, and helps lift whole communities of operators at once.
IOE sees digital and AI as tools to work smarter, not threats to work around. IOE uses AI tools to add greater value for the people and organisations it serves. This policy sets out how IOE does that responsibly and openly.
As its use of AI develops, IOE follows the National AI Centre’s Guidance for AI Adoption (opens in a new tab) and its six essential practices, and reflects Australia’s AI Ethics Principles (opens in a new tab). IOE encourages every business using AI to do the same. The guidance and its supporting tools, including an AI policy template, are free to use.
This policy sits alongside IOE’s Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab), which governs all personal information, including personal information used with AI tools.
Scope
This policy applies to all work carried out by or for IOE, including group training, online courses, one-to-one mentoring and coaching, the Digital and AI Growth Diagnostic, keynote presentations, the Tourism Hub Podcast, content marketing, social media event hosting and business administration.
In this policy, an AI tool is any technology that generates content, summaries, predictions or recommendations from the information given to it. This includes generative AI tools, AI transcription and AI features built into other software. It does not include standard spreadsheet formulas, rule-based automations or ordinary website analytics.
Where a client agreement sets different requirements for an engagement, IOE follows that agreement for that engagement.
IOE’s commitments
Accountability. Despina Karatzias, Founder of IOE, is accountable for every use of AI at IOE and for this policy.
Human judgement comes first. AI supports IOE’s work. It does not replace professional judgement. IOE reviews everything AI produces before it is published, delivered to a client or shared with a participant or mentee, and takes full responsibility for its accuracy.
No decisions about people. AI is never used to make decisions about an individual, such as their suitability, eligibility or performance.
Honesty. IOE does not use AI to deceive or manipulate anyone. IOE does not use AI to create testimonials or to present AI-generated words as a real person’s.
Fairness and accessibility. IOE checks AI-assisted material for accuracy, bias and accessibility before it is used, consistent with its commitment to inclusive and accessible learning.
Transparency. IOE is open about its use of AI. This policy is part of that commitment.
Environmental responsibility. AI uses significant energy, and IOE recognises it has a part to play. IOE uses AI where the benefit justifies the impact, and is committed to reducing the emissions of its own operations, including using an electric vehicle for business travel. IOE shares what it learns through its education, encouraging businesses to consider the environmental footprint of AI in their own choices. IOE is learning as it grows, and will report its progress in future updates to this policy.
How this policy reflects Australia’s AI Ethics Principles
| Principle | How IOE applies it |
|---|---|
| Human, societal and environmental wellbeing | AI is used where it adds genuine value for people and where the benefit justifies its environmental impact. IOE uses an electric vehicle for business travel and encourages businesses to consider AI’s environmental footprint. |
| Human-centred values | People can say no to AI use in their mentoring, and the service is the same either way. AI never makes decisions about individuals. |
| Fairness | AI-assisted material is checked for bias and accessibility before use. |
| Privacy protection and security | Personal information is used with AI only as IOE’s Privacy Policy allows, and sensitive information is never deliberately entered. |
| Reliability and safety | Every tool is checked before use and reviewed at least once a year. |
| Transparency and explainability | IOE publishes this policy and tells people when sessions are recorded or transcribed. |
| Contestability | Anyone can question or challenge IOE’s use of AI and receive a response within 30 days. |
| Accountability | IOE’s Founder is accountable for every use of AI at IOE. |
How IOE chooses and manages AI tools
Before any AI tool is used for IOE work, IOE checks:
- what the tool does and what it will be used for;
- whether its terms allow information entered into it to be used to train its models;
- where it stores and processes information;
- the risk the use carries, and the controls needed.
Approved tools and their permitted uses are recorded in IOE’s internal AI system register. Clients may request reasonable information about the AI tools used in their engagement, subject to confidentiality, security and commercial-in-confidence considerations.
IOE reviews the register at least once a year, and whenever a tool changes its terms, features or data practices. Any tool that no longer meets this policy stops being used.
What information can be used with AI tools
IOE classifies information before it enters any AI tool.
| Information | Examples | How it may be used |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Published material, general industry knowledge | Any approved tool |
| IOE internal | Course development, business planning, IOE’s own intellectual property | Only tools whose terms do not allow inputs to be used for training |
| Personal | Participant, client and mentee information | Only as IOE’s Privacy Policy allows, in tools whose terms do not allow inputs to be used for training, and limited to what the task needs |
| Restricted | Health information and other sensitive information, payment details, passwords and access credentials | Never deliberately entered into any AI tool. If a transcript captures it, it is not used in any other AI tool |
When in doubt, IOE treats information as restricted.
Mentoring
Mentoring sessions are confidential. IOE wants to be fully present in every mentoring session and make the most of the time together. To do this, IOE uses AI tools to transcribe and summarise sessions, prepare for them and develop follow-up resources. IOE does this only with the mentee’s agreement. Agreement is asked at the start of the mentoring engagement, and again at the start of each session before any transcription begins.
When IOE uses AI tools in mentoring, it:
- uses only tools whose terms do not allow the mentee’s information to be used to train their models;
- does not deliberately enter health information or other sensitive information, and if a transcript captures it, does not use that information in any other AI tool;
- reviews everything AI produces before it reaches the mentee.
A mentee can say no or change their mind at any time. IOE then stops using AI tools in their mentoring and, if asked, deletes the transcripts and AI summaries of their sessions from IOE’s records. The mentoring is the same either way. Mentoring content is never shared with the organisation that funded it without the mentee’s consent.
Workshops and webinars
Participants are told in the registration details, and again at the start of the session, when a workshop or webinar will be recorded or transcribed and why. Where this has been notified, it may continue for the whole session. Participants can raise a concern privately, and IOE will consider reasonable options to address it.
IOE is responsible for the recordings and transcripts it creates, commissions or controls. It is not responsible for recordings, screenshots or transcripts made independently by participants or others. Participants must not record, photograph, screenshot, transcribe or share session content or other participants’ personal information without permission.
Content created with AI assistance
IOE uses AI tools to help research, draft and produce its courses, resources and content. Every piece is directed, reviewed and approved by IOE before publication. IOE owns the content it creates with AI assistance to the extent the law allows.
Incidents
An AI incident includes:
- information entered into an AI tool contrary to this policy;
- an error in AI-assisted material that has been shared or published;
- an actual or suspected unauthorised access to, loss of, or disclosure of information involving an AI tool;
- a tool materially changing how it handles, keeps, trains on, secures or stores information processed for IOE.
When an incident occurs, IOE stops the use involved, assesses what happened and who is affected, and takes steps to fix it. Where personal information is involved, IOE follows its Privacy Policy, including notifying those affected and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner where required. IOE records every incident and what it learned.
IOE can deliver all of its services without AI tools. If a tool needs to be stopped, the work continues without it.
Questions and concerns
Anyone with a question, concern or challenge about IOE’s use of AI can email hello@instituteofexcellence.com with “AI policy” in the subject line. IOE will acknowledge it within 5 business days and respond within 30 days.
Review
IOE reviews this policy each year. It is also reviewed after a significant incident, when IOE adopts a new kind of AI use, or when relevant laws, regulations or government guidance change. Updates are published on this page with a new date updated.
Contact
Institute of Excellence
5a Hartnett Close, Mulgrave VIC 3150