Shadow AI
Shadow AI: staff using AI tools you have not approved
When staff use AI tools nobody approved, data and access slip out of your control. The NCSC advises finding out why they do it before deciding how to respond.
Last reviewed against NCSC, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and OWASP GenAI Security Project. Sources
The problem
Tools you cannot see
The NCSC advises organisations to understand why staff use unapproved AI tools, so that the risks those tools create can be managed [3]. The aim is not to punish anyone. A tool people reach for is usually meeting a need the approved set does not.
Why it matters
What can go wrong
The NCSC says leaders should check that data connected to AI systems is handled in line with legal requirements and good practice [2]. That check cannot be made for tools nobody has listed. Unlisted tools also sit outside any logging, accountability or supplier review you have in place.
Do not start with a ban
A ban with no approved alternative pushes use out of sight. Ask what staff are trying to do first [3].
What to do
Four steps
-
1
Ask staff and department heads which AI tools they use and for what [3]. -
2
Record each tool, the data it touches and what it can do [3]. -
3
Offer an approved option for the common needs, with clear rules on what data may be entered [2]. -
4
Review the list regularly, because tools and habits change [3].
Link it to policy
The government's code of practice makes raising awareness of AI security threats and risks its first principle [6]. A short acceptable use rule for AI, with examples of data that must never be entered, supports that principle.
Who carries the risk
Not just the user
The NCSC's position is that individual users of AI products should not be left to carry the job of using them safely [2]. For shadow AI that cuts both ways. Staff should not be blamed for tools the organisation failed to provide, and the organisation should not leave staff to judge each tool's security alone.
Questions for department heads
Next
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