10/30/2026
Your AI policy needs to work on a busy afternoon.
Make approved tools easy to find and use.
An employee needs a faster draft.
The approved option is unclear.
A personal AI account is already open.
That is one way shadow AI can begin: people using tools the organization has not approved or reviewed. The business may have little visibility into what information is being shared or retained.
Start by asking staff what they are trying to accomplish. Then publish a short, accessible list of approved tools, permitted uses, and information that must stay out.
Provide a simple route to request a new tool or report an accidental upload. Pair the rules with training and access controls appropriate to the work.
If employees keep looking elsewhere, investigate the gap in the approved process.
A policy nobody can follow leaves decisions to chance.
Could someone on your team find the right AI tool and its data rules in under a minute?