Should I tell clients I use AI?

By Jason Sibley

What this is for, and who it's for

You've started using AI tools in your work, and a small voice keeps asking whether you ought to say so. This guide is for people running small businesses in the UK and Ireland, from consultants to tradespeople. It's also for anyone whose accountant or adviser has said "you should have a policy on that".

It's general information, not legal advice. If a decision carries real risk, ask a solicitor or your professional body.

The short answer

It depends on what the AI touched.

If it tidied your meeting notes, nobody needs an announcement. If it wrote the thing the client is paying you for, or handled their personal details, you should say so. Telling clients up front is also easier than being found out later. "Yes, we use AI and a person checks it" is an easy conversation. "You hid it from us" isn't.

There's no single UK legal rule that makes you disclose every use of AI to every client. The ASA, whic