Shadow AI: Unsanctioned AI Use in the Workplace and How to Respond
Staff in most organisations already use AI tools that have not been approved or risk-assessed — 'Shadow AI'. This workshop helps managers, HR, compliance and IT/security understand the scale and decide how to respond.
‘Shadow AI’ means employees using AI tools at work that their organisation has not approved, monitored or risk-assessed. It is not a fringe problem: across recent European workplace research it is closer to the norm than the exception.
This workshop is not about blame or prohibition. It is about informed decision-making. We begin with what the evidence actually shows about the scale and nature of unsanctioned AI use, then examine the three strategic responses open to any organisation — ban, tolerate, or formally enable — and the practical consequences of each.
The workshop is structured around a core decision-making exercise: participants work through a set of real Shadow AI scenarios and debate the appropriate organisational response. By the end of the session, each participant has drafted a Shadow AI policy position or a set of governance principles they can take back to their organisation.
Designed for managers, HR professionals, compliance officers, and cybersecurity teams. No technical background is required.
- ■Define Shadow AI and explain why it represents a governance challenge for organisations
- ■Describe the three main strategic responses to unsanctioned AI use and the implications of each
- ■Apply a structured decision framework to real Shadow AI scenarios
- ■Draft a Shadow AI policy position or set of governance principles for their organisation
- 01What Shadow AI is: definition, scale, and why it matters now
- 02Research findings: what European employees are actually using and why
- 03Strategic responses: ban, tolerate, or formally enable — consequences of each
- 04Scenario workshop: working through real Shadow AI situations
- 05Drafting your response: a Shadow AI policy position or governance principles
Open-enrolment editions are organised and managed by the Digital Learning Hub; places are booked directly with DLH.