The Hidden Threat Of Shadow AI
Security Boulevard, Tuesday, August 20th, 2024
In November 2022, ChatGPT launched, bringing new possibilities and challenges. As AI and GenAI have grown in popularity and use, businesses have had to grapple with how to use the technology and ensure it is used correctly and ethically.
While productivity gains are transparent to users, companies must set guidelines to protect themselves and their employees.
Think back to when cloud technology was introduced, and IT departments had to figure out how to deploy it. Employees began using cloud-based technologies before IT departments understood the benefits and limitations, leading to various issues such as data privacy concerns, data loss, and security issues. Fast-forward to today, employees have already adopted AI and GenAI before internal rules and industry-wide regulations were implemented. This Wild West mentality has resulted in 'shadow AI'- an update to 'shadow IT' whereby IT departments have no visibility or control over the applications and services employees use.