The Government's Guidance for AI Adoption turned ten guardrails into six practices. What each means for a small business using AI agents, with free templates.
Key takeaways
- The Guidance for AI Adoption is voluntary, short and written for organisations of every size.
- Its six practices boil down to: know your AI, own it, be honest about it, test it and stay in control.
- Free AI policy and AI register templates make a start take an afternoon.
- Agents that act on your behalf raise the stakes, so the practices matter more for agents than for chat tools.
What is the Guidance for AI Adoption?
The Guidance for AI Adoption was published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the National AI Centre on 21 October 2025. It condensed the ten guardrails of the Voluntary AI Safety Standard into six practices, with a shorter “foundations” version for organisations starting out (foundations PDF).
It matters for small business because adoption has moved fast. 43 percent of SMEs reported using AI in December 2025 to February 2026, and 19 percent said they did not know how to start, according to the National AI Centre (7 May 2026). AI adoption in small business across Australia is no longer an experiment. It needs a little structure.
What are the six essential practices for AI?
The six essential practices for AI, in the guidance’s order, with what each means for a small business running AI agents:
| Practice | What it means in a small business |
|---|---|
| 1. Decide who is accountable | One named person owns each AI tool or agent, even if a provider runs it |
| 2. Understand impacts and plan accordingly | Think through who the agent talks to and what could go wrong for them |
| 3. Measure and manage risks | Write down what each agent may and may not do, and what data it touches |
| 4. Share essential information | Tell customers and staff when they are dealing with AI |
| 5. Test and monitor | Test before launch, then review real conversations regularly |
| 6. Maintain human control | Keep a way for a person to step in, override or switch it off |
How does each practice apply to AI agents?
AI agents for small business do more than chat. They book, send and update. That makes each practice concrete:
Accountability. If the agent books the wrong time or says something misleading, your business is responsible. Name the person who reviews it.
Impacts. An agent answering NDIS families, tax clients or elderly homeowners needs gentler scripts and earlier handovers than one booking lawn mowing.
Risks. Set the limits in writing: no advice, no prices you cannot honour, no sensitive information, and a list of topics that go straight to a person.
Sharing information. The guidance says people using a chatbot should know it is not a human specialist. Put it in the greeting.
Testing and monitoring. Run old enquiries through the agent before launch. After launch, read or listen to a sample every week for the first month.
Human control. Every conversation needs an exit to a person, and someone needs the authority to pause an agent.
Is there an AI policy template for small business?
Yes. business.gov.au links to an AI policy template small business owners can adapt, plus an AI register template, released alongside the guidance (business.gov.au, 23 October 2025).
A practical one-page policy covers:
- Which AI tools staff may use, and for what.
- What information must never go into public AI tools.
- Who approves a new tool or agent.
- How customers are told when AI is involved.
- Who to tell when an AI tool gets something wrong.
How do you fill in an AI register template?
Keep it simple. An AI register template needs one row per tool or agent:
| Tool or agent | What it does | Information it touches | Owner | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website chat agent | Answers questions, books intake calls | Name, contact, suburb | Office manager | Weekly |
| AI receptionist | Answers after-hours calls | Name, number, call summary | Office manager | Weekly |
| Review reply agent | Drafts Google review replies | Public review text | Owner | Monthly |
| Staff AI assistant | Drafts emails and documents | No client information | Owner | Quarterly |
What other rules sit around responsible AI for SMEs?
Responsible AI for SMEs is not only the guidance. Existing laws still apply:
- Privacy: the OAIC warns against entering personal information into public AI tools. From 10 December 2026, covered businesses must explain significant automated decisions in their privacy policy.
- Consumer law: what an agent says on your behalf must not mislead.
- Professional rules: tax practitioners have the TPB’s 2026 AI guidance, and NDIS providers the NDIS Commission’s position on AI and participant information.
- Cyber security: an agent with access to your systems is only as safe as your accounts. The average reported cybercrime cost for a small business was $56,600 in 2024-25 (ASD).
How does Launch Your Dream follow the six practices?
Launch Your Dream agents are set up by Sharktech Global with the six practices built in: an approved knowledge base and limits for each agent, labelling in every greeting, testing before go-live, conversation reviews after launch and a handover to a person in every conversation. For businesses with 10 to 200 staff, Sharktech’s managed IT adds an AI register, agent rules and a monthly AI report. See managed AI services and agentic AI for small business.
Who builds this for small businesses?
Launch Your Dream, by Sharktech Global, packages AI agents into industry suites for Australian small and medium businesses that do not have their own IT team, up and running within 7 working days of receiving your onboarding details. Book a free 30 minute discovery call.
General information only, not legal advice. Read the guidance itself at industry.gov.au.
Common questions
- What is the Guidance for AI Adoption?
- Guidance published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the National AI Centre in October 2025. It sets out six practices for using AI safely and responsibly, and replaced the ten guardrails of the earlier Voluntary AI Safety Standard.
- Is the Guidance for AI Adoption mandatory?
- No. It is voluntary guidance. Existing laws, such as privacy, consumer and workplace laws, still apply to how a business uses AI.
- Is there a free AI policy template for small businesses?
- Yes. business.gov.au links to an AI policy template and an AI register template, published with the guidance in October 2025.
- How many Australian SMEs use AI?
- 43 percent of SMEs reported using AI in December 2025 to February 2026, according to the National AI Centre's AI Adoption Tracker.
- What is an AI register?
- A simple list of every AI tool and agent the business uses, what it does, what information it touches and who is accountable for it.