Whether you have an approved policy or not, it’s likely that some of your staff are already using AI at work without you knowing.
To get strong results from AI, your organisation needs to embrace AI as a collective. That’s why it’s so important to intentionally use AI across your organisation, rather than allow shadow AI use.
Shadow AI is when people use AI tools for their work outside of an official policy or approved approach.
There are many reasons why people engage in shadow use. For example, people may consider AI use cheating or not want to be seen as lazy or less capable at their job.
Shadow AI is often a signal of unmet need, time pressure, or curiosity from early adopters.
People need to feel safe to disclose their use of AI. They want to be sure there won’t be negative impacts of using AI for work.
Provide guidance on how and when staff should use AI at work, and which tools are acceptable.
It is critical to invest in AI training and create robust policies around AI use relevant to your business and industry.
Especially if you are dealing with personal or sensitive client data, or if your organisation is bound by broader professional standards.
Turning shadow AI into productive AI means creating clear expectations, safe alternatives and open conversations, so people don’t feel they need to choose between getting work done and doing the right thing.