It's time to govern your team's AI use
Let me ask you a slightly uncomfortable question.
Do you know which AI tools your team is using at work… and what they're putting into them?
Most business owners I speak to think they do. Then we look a little closer.
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini have become part of everyday work incredibly quickly. They're great for productivity. Drafting emails. Summarizing documents. Brainstorming ideas. Solving problems faster.
The issue is, they've arrived so fast that governance hasn't kept pace.
A recent report looked at how businesses are using GenAI, and the findings are eye-opening.
AI use across organizations has surged. The number of users tripled in just a year.
People aren't just testing it either. They're depending on it. Prompt usage has exploded, with some organizations sending tens of thousands of prompts every month.
At the highest end, usage reaches into the millions.
On the surface, that sounds like efficiency.
Underneath, it's something else entirely.
Nearly half of people using AI tools at work are doing so through personal accounts or unsanctioned apps.
This is known as "shadow AI." It means employees are uploading text, files, and data into systems the business doesn't control, can't monitor, and can't audit.
That's where the risk starts to creep in.
When someone pastes information into an AI tool, they're not just asking a question. They're sharing data.
Sometimes that data includes customer information, internal documents, pricing details, intellectual property, or even login credentials. Often without you realizing it.
According to the report, incidents involving sensitive data being sent to AI tools have doubled over the past year. The average organization now sees hundreds of these incidents every month.
And because personal AI apps sit outside company controls, they've become a significant insider risk. Not malicious insiders, necessarily. Often just well-meaning people trying to do their jobs more quickly.
This is where many businesses get caught out. They assume AI risk looks like hacking from the outside.
Sometimes it looks like an employee copying and pasting the wrong thing into the wrong box at the wrong moment.
There's also a compliance issue here.
If you operate in a regulated industry, or handle sensitive customer data, uncontrolled AI use can put you in breach of your own policies — or someone else's regulations — without anyone realizing until it's too late.
The warning is blunt: As sensitive information flows freely into unapproved AI ecosystems, data governance becomes harder and harder to maintain.
At the same time, attackers are getting smarter, using AI themselves to analyze leaked data and create more convincing attacks.
So what's the answer?
It's not banning AI. That ship has sailed. And it's not pretending it's harmless either.
The real answer is governance.
That means deciding which AI tools are approved for work use. Being clear about what can and cannot be shared with them. Putting visibility and controls in place so data doesn't quietly drift where it shouldn't. And making sure your team understands the risks — not in a scary way, but in a practical, sensible one.
AI is already part of how work gets done. Ignoring it doesn't make it safer. Governing it does.
We can help you put the right policies in place and educate your team on the risks of AI. Get in touch.
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