Every business needs visibility into their employee AI use
A conversation we are having with more and more business leaders often starts with a simple statement: “We don’t really use AI yet.”
A few questions later, a different picture usually emerges…
Someone is using ChatGPT to help draft emails. Another employee is summarising meeting notes with an AI-powered tool. Someone else has installed a browser extension that helps them create content or complete tasks more quickly.
The business may not have formally adopted AI, but AI has already found its way into day-to-day operations.
That is hardly surprising. When people discover a tool that helps them work more efficiently, they are naturally curious about it. If it saves time and makes their job easier, they are likely to continue using it.
The challenge is that many organisations have not yet established clear guidelines around which AI tools are acceptable and how they should be used.
Consider a common scenario. An employee receives a lengthy customer email and pastes it into a public AI tool to help draft a response. The tool returns a useful answer in seconds, saving valuable time.
The next day, they do it again. The following week, they upload a proposal to generate a summary. Later, another employee uses a different AI tool to analyse spreadsheet data.
From their perspective, they are simply trying to work more efficiently. They are not intentionally creating risk.
However, customer information, financial data, internal documents and business plans can end up being shared with systems that have never been reviewed or approved by the organisation.
This is often referred to as “shadow AI”, where individuals adopt AI tools independently rather than through a formal business process.
Unlike traditional technology investments, AI often spreads organically.
A new accounting platform will typically go through procurement and approval processes. A new CRM system is usually evaluated before it is implemented.
AI tools are different. Employees can discover them during the working day, sign up in minutes and start using them immediately. By the time leadership begins discussing an AI policy, people may already have established preferred tools and workflows.
That can create a difficult situation. If employees believe a tool is helping them perform their job more effectively, they may not understand why restrictions are being introduced. In many cases, they see themselves as solving problems, not creating them.
This is why open conversations about AI are so important.
Rather than assuming AI is not being used, organisations should actively engage with employees to understand:
- Which AI tools are currently being used
- What business processes they are supporting
- What information is being shared with those tools
- Which types of data should never be entered into external AI platforms
- Whether approved alternatives are available
The goal is not to prevent innovation. It is to ensure people can benefit from AI while protecting the business, its data and its customers.
When employees understand the boundaries and have access to approved tools, organisations are far better positioned to realise the benefits of AI without introducing unnecessary risk.
If you have never asked your team which AI tools they are using, the answers may surprise you.
Need Help Managing AI Use in Your Business?
We can help you assess how AI is being used across your organisation, identify potential risks, and develop practical governance and security guidelines that support productivity while protecting business data.
Contact GZD to discuss your AI governance, security and compliance requirements.