- Despite getting approved tools, workers still prefer ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude
- One in ten companies add 10,000 agent or machine identities every month
- Companies must listen to workers and treat AI as an identity going forward
Around two in three UK organizations admit they cannot even track whether their employees are sharing data via approved AI platforms, creating significant blind spots.
New data from Sailpoint reveals that workers are increasingly using popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude despite the provision of certain other tools, suggesting that companies are not listening to the needs of employees.
Sailpoint CEO Mark McClain explained: “As the use of AI systems becomes more widespread, the situation will only spiral further out of control if organizations fail to put the right guardrails in place – compounded by other tools that fly under the radar.”
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Shadow AI causes large visibility gaps
It appears that 82% of companies have invested in AI and data skills, and half as many (41%) have hired dedicated roles as a result, but 45% of IT leaders say they still don’t have enough insight into where and how business data is shared across AI tools.
And the worst is yet to come, because while workers frequent unauthorized GenAI tools, agent AI can amplify the effects even more. Four in five say AI agents perform unintended actions such as accessing or sharing the wrong data, and this comes at a time when as many as 12% of companies are adding up to 10,000 AI agents or machine identities per month.
“Organizations need to stop solutions and regain control,” added McClain. “It requires a combination of skills and awareness, but it also fundamentally boils down to a challenge around identity.”
Looking ahead, two clear routes emerge for companies to contain AI use. First, they should recognize the types of tools workers need and put safeguards in place for them, and second, with the rise of agent AI, companies must treat AI as an identity issue, assigning data access controls to prevent unwarranted leaks.
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