AI Privacy Audit & Risk Assessment for Canadian Organizations
A structured assessment of how AI tools are actually being used across your organization — what data they touch, where you're exposed under PIPEDA, and a prioritized plan to reduce risk without slowing your team down.
What's included
A repeatable methodology refined across Canadian healthcare, property management, and non-profit engagements.
Shadow AI discovery
An anonymized usage survey plus structured interviews surface the AI tools your team is already using — including the ones IT doesn't know about. Without this step, every other step is incomplete.
Tool inventory & data-flow map
For every AI tool in use we document: who uses it, what kind of information they paste into it, where that information goes, and what the vendor's data-handling terms say versus what they actually do.
PIPEDA exposure assessment
A clear-eyed evaluation of where current AI use creates exposure under PIPEDA — consent, breach notification, accountability — plus sector-specific obligations where they apply (healthcare, financial, education).
Prioritized risk register
Every finding scored by likelihood and severity, with ownership and rough effort estimates — so leadership can act on the audit in the next quarter, not just file it.
Remediation roadmap
Quick wins (under a week), policy work (1–4 weeks), and structural changes (90+ days) — phased so your team can keep working through it. Optional follow-on engagements for policy drafting, team training, or local AI setup.
When to commission an audit
Three triggers we see most often.
AI use is already widespread
Your team is using AI tools daily, but nobody has mapped what data is flowing where. The longer this continues, the harder it gets to bring under control.
A funder, regulator, or board is asking
Increasingly funders and boards want documented evidence that you've considered AI privacy risk. The audit gives you that evidence.
You're considering a major AI rollout
Before adopting a new AI tool organization-wide — or building a custom workflow — it pays to map the privacy surface area first.
Frequently asked questions
What does an AI privacy audit include?expand_more
An AI privacy audit maps every place AI tools are being used across your organization — including shadow AI — identifies what kinds of personal and proprietary information are exposed, evaluates exposure against PIPEDA and sector obligations, and produces a prioritized remediation plan.
How long does an audit take?expand_more
For a small Canadian organization (10–50 staff), 2–3 weeks end-to-end. That includes a usage survey, stakeholder interviews, tool inventory, exposure analysis, and the written report. Larger organizations take longer.
What does the audit report look like?expand_more
A 15–25 page report: executive summary, AI tool inventory, categorized risk register, PIPEDA exposure assessment, and a prioritized list of fixes — from quick wins (under a week) to structural changes (90+ days).
Is this the same as a cybersecurity audit?expand_more
No. A cybersecurity audit looks at how attackers might get in. An AI privacy audit looks at how your own employees might inadvertently send sensitive information out — to public AI models — and what that means under Canadian privacy law. They complement each other.
Will I need follow-on work afterwards?expand_more
Most organizations need at minimum a written AI use policy and a brief team training session. Both can be scoped as a follow-on engagement or handled in-house using the audit findings.
Find out where you're exposed.
A 30-minute scoping call. We'll discuss your team size, the kinds of data you handle, and whether an audit is the right next step.
Book a Call