The AI Opt-Out List Template

A living record of AI tools and vendors your organization has reviewed and decided not to use, and why.

Most governance conversations focus on what to approve. Just as important, and far less commonly documented, is what you have reviewed and rejected. An opt-out list turns a one-time no into organizational memory, so the same tool does not get re-evaluated from scratch six months later by someone who was not in the room the first time.

Why Keep One

  • Prevents re-litigating the same vendor repeatedly as staff turn over.
  • Gives a clear, defensible record for audits, RFPs, and client questions about your AI posture.
  • Surfaces patterns: if you are rejecting the same category of tool repeatedly, that is a signal worth escalating into policy, not handling case by case.

What to Capture for Each Entry

  1. Tool or vendor name and category: The full vendor name, the category of AI capability, and a brief description of what it does.
  2. Date reviewed and who reviewed it: When the evaluation happened and which function or individual led it. This matters for handoff continuity as staff turns over.
  3. Reason for rejection: Data handling concern, no sub-processor disclosure, missing certification, contractual mismatch, or redundant with an approved tool. Specific is more useful than general.
  4. Review expiration: When this decision should be revisited. Some rejections are permanent; others are not yet. A date forces the distinction.
  5. Status: Permanently opted out, or under reconsideration. A binary status makes the list scannable during intake.

Where It Lives and Who Owns It

The list only works if people check it before requesting a new tool. Decide where it is stored, who can add to it, and how it connects to your intake process, so checking it becomes a standard step, not an afterthought.

This template gives you the fields and the structure. Deciding your organization's actual thresholds, what disqualifies a vendor outright versus what is negotiable, is where this becomes a real governance tool instead of a spreadsheet. That is the part we help with directly.

Ready to build your vendor governance record?

Book a Triage Call | TPRM Response Playbook for AI Vendors | AI Discovery and Risk Scan