Your employees may already be using AI tools at work that your company does not know about. This is called shadow AI, and it happens when staff use AI tools that are not approved or managed by the business.
The risk is that company information can leave your controlled environment without anyone knowing it happened. Our advice is simple. Give employees a safe AI option, because without one, many will find their own.
What Shadow AI Includes
Unapproved AI use can take several forms. It includes AI chat tools, browser extensions, and AI features built into other software.
Two conditions decide whether a tool falls into this category. Approval means your company has decided the tool is acceptable for work. Management means your company has oversight of how the tool is set up and used. A tool that is missing either one counts as unapproved AI use.
AI Chat Tools Like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini
ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are examples of AI tools employees may turn to at work. They are well-known examples, which makes them a useful starting point when you review which AI tools may be in use across your business.
When employees use any of them without company approval or management, that use falls outside your company’s control.
Browser Extensions and Built-In AI Features
Unapproved AI use also includes browser extensions and AI features built into other applications. These are easier to overlook because they do not always look like a separate AI tool.
An AI feature inside software your team already uses is still an AI tool. If your company has not approved or managed it, the same rule applies.
Key Takeaway: Any AI tool your company has not approved or managed counts. That includes chat tools, browser extensions, and AI features inside other apps.
Why Unapproved AI Tools are a Risk
The concern comes down to two things: where your company information goes and whether anyone knows it went there.
Company Information Can Leave Your Controlled Environment
Your controlled environment is the set of systems and tools your company has approved and oversees. When employees use unapproved AI tools, company information can move outside that environment.
Once that happens, the information is no longer within the systems your business oversees.
It Can Happen Without Your Company Knowing
The second part of the risk is visibility. Your company may not even know it happened.
Without that awareness, there is no clear way to tell what information has left or where it went. This is why we treat unapproved AI use as a problem worth addressing early.
Pro Tip: When you review AI use in your business, check browser extensions and AI features inside other apps, along with chat tools like ChatGPT.
Need expert help managing AI use in your business? Contact MDL Technology for a free consultation.
How to Respond to Unapproved AI Use
Our recommendation starts with what you offer your team.
Why Employees Turn to Shadow AI Tools
If you do not give employees a safe AI option, many will find their own. When there is no approved choice, the tools employees find on their own become the default.
Each of those tools sits outside your controlled environment, which brings back the same risk to your company’s information.
Offer a Safe, Approved AI Option
A safe AI option is one your company approves and manages. Providing one gives employees a reason to stay within your controlled environment for their AI needs.
It also brings AI use back into view. Because the tool sits inside systems your business already oversees, you gain a clearer picture of how your team uses AI.
Key Takeaway: A safe, approved AI option gives employees less reason to use tools your company cannot see.
Bring AI Use Back Under Your Control
Unapproved AI use includes tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, along with browser extensions and AI features built into other apps. When these tools are not approved or managed, company information can leave your controlled environment without your knowledge. Giving employees a safe AI option makes them less likely to find their own.
Our team at MDL Technology can talk through how your employees use AI today and what a safe option could look like for your business. Contact us to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward managing shadow AI in your company.
