AI governance for SMEs in Hong Kong and Australia.
AI governance for an SME is the rules for agents and tools after you know what you are deploying. 3 Peat is based in both markets. We do not start with a policy PDF. We start with the stack, then write acceptable use, accountability, and alignment to Australia's Privacy Act and Hong Kong's PDPO, so staff know what can leave the building.
What happens without a policy
Right now, someone in your organisation is pasting sensitive data into an AI tool. Do you know where that data goes?
Every prompt is a data decision. Is yours governed?
Our process
How we work
A structured engagement from first conversation to working framework, shaped by the stack you actually run. Typical timeline: 2–4 weeks.
Stakeholder interviews to map current AI usage, identify ungoverned tools and agents, and establish your leadership team’s risk appetite.
Build your AI register – every tool and agent documented, mapped to teams and individuals, with data flow and vendor terms reviewed.
Write your bespoke framework: acceptable use policies, data classification rules, accountability structure, and Privacy Act / PDPO alignment.
Configure tooling to detect policy violations and shadow AI adoption. Quarterly reviews keep the framework current.
Typical engagement: 2–4 weeks end-to-end. Monitoring phase optional.
Our client base
Client
Company Size
Typically 20–100 staff. Large enough to have meaningful AI adoption across departments, small enough that governance has fallen through the cracks. No dedicated compliance or legal team.
Company Size
Typically 20–100 staff. Large enough to have meaningful AI adoption across departments, small enough that governance has fallen through the cracks. No dedicated compliance or legal team.
What's at stake
These organisations learned the hard way. Without governance, AI risk becomes business risk.
Engineers pasted proprietary source code into ChatGPT. The data was stored on OpenAI servers. Samsung subsequently banned generative AI company-wide.
No policy means no control over what leaves your organisation.
An AI chatbot provided incorrect bereavement fare information. A tribunal ruled Air Canada liable for its AI's output.
Deployed AI creates legal accountability whether you're ready or not.
MAS and HKMA have both issued binding guidance on AI use in financial services. Firms without documented governance frameworks face supervisory scrutiny.
APAC regulators are moving faster than most organisations expect.
What we actually do
Governance follows the stack. For an Australian manufacturer with around one hundred staff, a readiness audit decided what was worth building and governing before a single policy was written.
The rules only matter once you know what your infrastructure looks like and which agents will act in your name. Read what AI for an SME actually means →
Rules shaped by how you deploy.
We scope every engagement before any commitment. Tell us about your organisation and we'll respond within 2 business days.
The 3 Peat AI Framework Builder produces a first-draft framework in under an hour. Free to complete.
FAQ
AI governance is the set of policies, processes, and accountability structures that determine how your organisation uses AI, covering data handling, risk classification, staff responsibilities, and regulatory compliance. For an SME it should be shaped by what you actually deploy, not written as a standalone policy PDF.
Shadow AI in a law firm is fee earners putting client matter data into ChatGPT, Copilot, or a consumer AI tool the firm has not approved. That is a confidentiality problem under the Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules, a Privacy Act exposure, and a question your PI insurer will ask at renewal.
Any organisation using AI tools with staff or customer data. In Australia that means the Privacy Act 1988 and the AI Ethics Principles. In Hong Kong, the PDPO and the PCPD’s AI guidance. If your team uses ChatGPT, Copilot, any AI-assisted tool, or an agent that takes action on its own, you need a framework.
The self-service 3 Peat AI Framework Builder produces a first-draft framework in under an hour. For organisations requiring bespoke consulting, a full implementation typically takes two to four weeks depending on complexity.
Our framework work is structured around the EU AI Act as the global benchmark, with modules for Australia’s Privacy Act and AI Ethics Principles, Hong Kong’s PDPO and HKMA guidance, Singapore’s PDPC Model Framework, and UK GDPR. We update coverage as regulations evolve.
Regulatory fines under the EU AI Act reach up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover. Beyond fines: data breach liability, reputational damage, loss of enterprise contracts that require vendor AI policies, and personal liability exposure for directors in some jurisdictions. With autonomous agents, ungoverned AI also means actions taken in your name with no accountability trail.