10/15/2026
If your employees are using AI at work, here's a question worth asking:
Are they using the tools you've approved...
..or the ones they've found themselves?
New research suggests more than half of employees are using AI tools that haven't been approved by their employer 😬
Even more concerning, some admit they've entered sensitive company information into those tools 😱
I don't think this is happening because employees are trying to break the rules.
Most likely, they're trying to get their work done more quickly.
If the approved AI tool is difficult to access, doesn't do what they need, or isn't available at all, people will look elsewhere.
That's how shadow AI starts.
Shadow AI is when employees use AI tools without the knowledge or approval of the business.
The problem isn't necessarily the tool.
It's that the business has no visibility over where company information is being shared or how it's being stored 👀
Banning AI won’t work.
People will find another way.
And your business will miss out.
A better approach is to give employees clear guidance on which AI tools they should use, what information should never be entered into them, and why those rules exist.
At the same time, ask whether the approved tools are meeting people's needs.
If they aren't, employees will look for alternatives.
AI has huge potential to help businesses become more productive.
But it needs the same level of governance as any other business system.
Otherwise, you don't know where your company information is ending up.
👉 Does your business have a clear AI policy, or are employees making their own decisions about which AI tools to use?
