The Dual Face of Artificial Intelligence at Work
Artificial intelligence has rapidly become a powerful force in the modern workplace, with more than half of UK organisations seeing it as a key to solving the nation’s productivity problem. A staggering 7 million UK workers are already using AI tools in their daily tasks, from summarising documents and draughting emails to creating complex workflow automations. This widespread adoption is delivering a diverse range of benefits, including increased innovation, improved products and services, and enhanced customer relationships.
However, this same pressure for quick adoption can also inadvertently create significant cybersecurity risks. As employees look for ways to do more with less, they are turning to a variety of third-party AI apps, often without proper IT oversight. This unauthorised use of technology in the workplace is what has become known as “shadow AI”, a rapidly evolving threat that demands immediate attention from business leaders.
Understanding the Growing Threat of Shadow AI
Shadow AI is not a hypothetical risk; it’s a very real and growing problem for UK businesses. The pressure on employees to increase their productivity is a major driver, with over 57% of office workers globally admitting to using third-party AI apps in the public domain. The problem extends even further, as studies show that 55% of global workers are using unapproved AI tools, and 40% are using tools that have been explicitly banned by their organisations.
The term itself is also gaining traction, with internet searches for “shadow AI” leaping by 90% year-on-year, a clear indicator of the extent to which employees are experimenting with generative AI. This widespread use of unsanctioned tools puts a company’s security and reputation at serious risk, as sensitive data can be exposed and business integrity can be compromised. Organisations need to wake up to this threat and address it proactively before it leads to a catastrophic security breach.
Primary Risks Associated with Unsanctioned AI
Unsanctioned AI tools pose several risks to businesses. Data leakage occurs when employees use third-party Large Language Models (LLMs) without proper security protocols, exposing confidential information. These models often learn from proprietary data, making a company’s proprietary information vulnerable. Organizations lacking transparency about AI usage risk violating regulations like GDPR, as many are unaware of the implications of GenAI or deterred by the costs of implementing compliant strategies.
Poor tool management is another risk, as cybersecurity teams lack visibility into the tools used, making it difficult to maintain a secure tech stack. Additionally, AI models are only as effective as the data they learn from, and if tools draw on flawed or biased data, the company is at risk of perpetuating harmful biases in responses and operations.
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The Zero-Trust Framework: A Secure Path to Adoption
The solution to the problem of shadow AI is not to ban the technology outright. Instead, organisations must create a controlled, balanced environment that allows them to leverage the potential of AI in a secure way. This approach begins with a zero-trust architecture, which is a security framework that requires strict verification for every person and device attempting to access resources on a private network, regardless of whether they are inside or outside of the network perimeter.
In a zero-trust model, no one is trusted by default. This is a crucial shift from traditional security models and is essential for managing the risks of a decentralised and rapidly evolving technology like AI. By prioritising essential security factors and building a foundation of zero-trust, businesses can begin to trial new AI processes organically and safely, without compromising their security posture.
Building a Seamless and Automated Security Experience
To be truly effective, a zero-trust approach must be seamlessly integrated into the daily workflow of every employee. It shouldn’t be treated as a “bolt-on” solution but rather as a core part of the company’s operational infrastructure. This requires a collaborative environment where security is a shared responsibility, and AI solutions are designed to enhance, not hinder, content production. A modern security operations centre should rely on automated threat detection and response, which not only spots potential threats from unsanctioned AI tools but also handles them directly and efficiently.
This automated process is key to keeping pace with the rapid adoption of AI and ensuring that consistent security policies are applied across the entire business. A seamless security experience ensures that employees are empowered to use new technology without interrupting their day-to-day tasks, which in turn reduces the temptation to turn to unsanctioned shadow AI tools.
The Importance of Robust and Flexible Access Controls
At the core of a zero-trust framework are robust access controls. These controls are essential for preventing unauthorised queries and protecting a company’s most sensitive information. They ensure that employees can only access the data and tools they need to perform their jobs, reducing the risk of data leakage and misuse. However, in a rapidly evolving field like AI, these governance policies must be both precise and flexible.
They must be able to keep pace with new AI adoption, evolving regulatory demands, and changing best practices. A security framework that is too rigid will inevitably create a gap where employees feel limited, leading them back to shadow AI. By creating a flexible system of access controls that can be easily updated and adapted, organisations can ensure that they are always at the cutting edge of security without stifling innovation.
Finding the Right Balance for Productivity and Security
AI could very well be the answer to the UK’s productivity problem. But for this to happen, organisations need to ensure there is no gap in their AI strategy where employees feel limited by the sanctioned tools available to them. This gap is the primary reason why shadow AI exists. Powering productivity needs to be secure, and organisations need two key things to ensure this happens: a strong and comprehensive AI strategy and a single content management platform.
With secure and compliant AI tools, employees are able to deploy the latest innovations in their content workflows without putting their organisation at risk. This means that innovation doesn’t come at the expense of security, which is a delicate balance that, in this new era of heightened risk and expectation, is the key to sustained success and a secure digital future.
