AI glossary
Shadow AI
Also called BYOAI, bring your own AI, unapproved AI use.
Shadow AI is staff using AI tools at work that their organisation hasn’t approved or doesn’t know about, usually on personal accounts. It often comes from a gap in provision rather than bad intent: people find the tools useful and have no approved route. The main risk is work information leaving under personal terms.
Think of it as
Staff bringing their own laptop because the office hasn’t given them one.
Why it matters at work
No AI strategy doesn’t mean no AI use: in a Microsoft survey of 2,003 UK employees (vendor research, October 2025), 71% had used unapproved AI tools at work, and one reason given, by 28%, was that their employer offers no approved option. The course brings it into the open rather than banning it, with an approved organisation account, clear rules such as the tramlines, and no blame for past use.