Writing an AI policy sounds straightforward — until it becomes the place where everyone in your organization hangs all their hopes and dreams for AI governance.

In this episode of the Health Data Ethics Podcast, I walk through the first item on the Joint Commission and Coalition for Health AI's responsible use guidance: establishing an AI policy as your governance foundation. I share what we learned working on Cleveland Clinic's AI policy in late 2024 — before the JC/CHAI guidance even existed — including the structural traps that slow policies down, and why pre-approval stakeholder alignment is so important.

If you're starting from zero or trying to get a stalled draft across the finish line, this one's for you.