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Start an assessmentShould I tell clients I'm using AI?
Disclosure can depend on your contracts, your professional duties and how client data is used. This guide covers when to tell clients and how.
Intro
Intro
Start by checking four things: what your client contracts say about AI tools and subcontractors, whether your professional body or regulator has guidance on AI use, whether client data goes into the tool, and whether the client would reasonably expect to know. The answers decide whether you must tell clients, and when.
This guide covers four situations where telling clients early helps, five common mistakes, and draft wording for contracts, proposals and conversations. Have any contract wording reviewed before you use it.
When to tell clients early
Four situations where telling clients early helps
In these situations, telling the client early lets them ask questions and make decisions with the full picture. Explain what the tool does, what you do and what you check.
| Heading | Why | How to do it | Example wording |
|---|---|---|---|
| The client is paying for your judgement | Coaches, consultants, therapists and advisers are hired for their thinking and judgement. Explaining how you work, including where AI is used, shows the client where your judgement applies. | Explain early, as part of describing how your process works. Say what the tool does and what you do yourself. | I use AI to help with initial research and to structure documents. That leaves more of our time for the analysis that is specific to your situation. I check and edit everything before you see it. |
| The client has asked, or their contract requires it | Some client contracts include clauses about AI tool use, data handling and checking outputs. If a client asks directly, or their contract requires disclosure, answer truthfully. | Answer specifically. Say what the tool did and what you did. Saying AI helped you structure a document and saying AI wrote it describe different work, so use whichever is accurate. | Yes. I used an AI tool to help with the structure of the first draft and to flag gaps in the research. I reviewed and rewrote the draft, and the analysis and recommendations in the final document are mine. |
| AI is part of how you deliver the service | If AI affects your turnaround time or your pricing, clients may reasonably expect to know. Explaining it at the proposal stage lets them decide on that basis. | Include it in your proposal or engagement letter, with what the tool does, what you check and how client data is handled. | We use AI tools for parts of the research and drafting stages. Our team checks the output and is responsible for the analysis and recommendations. We use client data only in tools approved for that purpose. |
| You work in a regulated sector | Legal practices, FCA-regulated firms, NHS suppliers and some public sector contractors may be subject to guidance from their regulator or professional body on AI use. That guidance can affect what you tell clients and when. | Read your regulator's or professional body's current guidance on AI. Take advice on whether your engagement terms need an AI clause, and on its wording. |
Common mistakes
Five ways AI disclosure goes wrong
Each of these is a common mistake in how disclosure is handled, with what to do about it.
Mentioning AI nervously, as if it lowers the value of the work, invites the client to read the work looking for problems. Your tone tells the client how you see the work yourself.
What to doSay in a matter-of-fact way what the tool did and what you checked. A short, factual note gives the client what they need to know.
A long list of named tools and versions moves the client's attention to your process and away from the work, and raises questions that do not help them.
What to doExplain the role AI tools play and what you checked. Give tool names if the client asks or the contract requires them, for example where client data goes into a tool.
If the client would have wanted to know before the work started, for example because their data goes into a tool or their contract covers AI use, telling them afterwards takes that decision away from them and can damage trust.
What to doTell the client before the work starts, at the proposal or engagement stage, whenever AI use could affect their decisions, their data or their contract.
Using AI after agreeing not to can breach the contract, and it damages the relationship if the client finds out.
What to doIf a client's contract restricts AI use and you rely on it, raise the clause before you sign. You can offer commitments on checking and accuracy, and the client may agree or keep the restriction. If they keep it, comply with it or decline the work.
Using AI to help structure a document you then wrote, checked and took responsibility for is different from sending an AI output unedited. Describing one as the other, in either direction, misrepresents what happened.
What to doSay what you wrote, reviewed and checked, and what you take responsibility for.
Sample wording
Draft wording for five situations
These are drafts to adapt and review. Have the contract clause and any proposal wording reviewed by a qualified adviser against your contracts, your sector's rules and how you handle client data.
| Label | Context | Text | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft for review: engagement letter or service agreement | Contract clause | We may use AI tools to assist with research, drafting, analysis and document structuring. A member of our team reviews work before it is delivered. We use client data in AI tools only as permitted by this agreement and our data protection obligations. Ownership of deliverables is as set out in this agreement. | A draft for review by a qualified adviser. Using AI does not settle who owns the outputs, so check the ownership wording in the rest of your agreement. |
| Draft for the methodology section of a proposal | Proposal footer | We use AI tools in parts of the research and first-draft work. The lead consultant reviews and approves client deliverables before submission. We will tell you before we use AI on any material you give us, and we will follow any restrictions you set. | Gives the client the information before work starts, with the chance to set limits. |
| Use when explaining your process to a client | Email explanation | I wanted to give you a short note on how we work. We use AI tools, mainly for gathering research and initial structuring. I review, edit and sign off everything you receive from us. If you have requirements about AI tool use, or about how your information is handled, let me know and we can agree how to work. | Personal, and invites the client to raise any requirements. |
| Use if a client asks whether you used AI on a specific piece of work | Response to a direct question | Yes. I used [tool] to help with the initial research and structure. I then reviewed it, rewrote sections and added my own analysis. The recommendations are mine. I'm happy to walk you through my thinking on any section. | Specific about your role, and offers to explain the reasoning. |
| Use before signing | Response to a no-AI contract clause | I'd like to discuss clause [X] on AI tool use before we proceed. Our process uses AI tools for parts of research and drafting, and I want to be open about that before agreeing to a restriction. We could add commitments on checking and accuracy. If you need the restriction to stay, let's talk about how the work would be done without AI tools. | Raises the clause before signing and gives the client a real choice. |
Common questions
FAQs
Am I legally required to tell clients I'm using AI?
It depends. Disclosure can be required by your contract with the client, by rules or guidance that apply to your profession or sector, or by data protection law where client personal data goes into an AI tool or AI is used to make decisions about people. Staying silent can also mislead a client in some circumstances. Check your client contracts and your professional body's guidance, and take advice where the answer matters.
What if a client specifically asks if I used AI?
Answer truthfully. A false answer to a direct question can be a misrepresentation, and it damages the relationship if discovered. Be specific about your role. Saying AI helped structure a first draft that you then reviewed, edited and built on describes different work from saying ChatGPT wrote it, so use whichever is accurate.
Should I disclose AI use in my contract?
A short clause sets expectations early and avoids a difficult conversation partway through a project. The draft clause above is a starting point. Have it reviewed against your contracts, your sector's rules and how you handle client data. If you work in a regulated sector, or with clients who have their own AI policies, you may need more detail.
What if my client has a 'no AI' policy in their contract?
If you've signed a contract that restricts or prohibits AI tool use, follow it. Using AI on that work could breach the contract. You can comply with the restriction, ask the client to change it, or decline the work. For future contracts, raise the clause before you sign. Using AI quietly after agreeing not to risks a breach of contract and damage to the relationship.
Does using AI mean I should charge less?
Not automatically. Your fee pays for the quality of the thinking, the accuracy of the work and the expertise applied in review. If the client receives the same or better work, using a tool that speeds you up does not by itself call for a lower fee. Hourly billing is different. If a client pays by the hour and AI reduces the hours needed, bill the hours actually worked, or agree a different fee basis with the client in advance.
How do I disclose AI use without undermining confidence in my work?
Describe what you bring as well as what the tool does. For example: I use AI for a first pass on research and structure, which gives me more time for the analysis and recommendations specific to your situation. Then say what you checked. A description that leaves you out, such as saying AI wrote the document, gives the client less reason to trust the thinking behind it. Give the information early, be specific about your role, and say how client data is handled.
Talk to us
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We can help you choose tools and settings, and draft client disclosure wording and an internal AI use policy for your team and advisers to review.