Report: Shadow AI usage pervasive

Unauthorized artificial intelligence tool usage in the corporate setting has escalated amid increased trust in AI, Cybersecurity Dive reports.

Shadow AI has been harnessed by over 80% of employees, with 50% reporting regular utilization of such tools, findings from an UpGuard report showed. While mid-level managers and low-level workers had the greatest overall shadow AI usage, regular use was highest among executives. Marketing and sales teams were also more likely to regularly leverage shadow AI, compared with operations and finance teams, according to the study, which also showed inadequate awareness about corporate AI policies.

"We found a positive correlation between users reporting that they understood AI security requirements and that they regularly used unapproved AI tools. This data suggests that as employees' knowledge of AI risks increases, so does their confidence in making judgments about that risk even at the expense of following company policies," said UpGuard.