An op-ed by AI Officer co-founder Gediminas Buivydas in Delfi Verslo požiūris on shadow AI in organisations: why employees already use AI without management knowing, and what to do about it.
An opinion piece by AI Officer co-founder Gediminas Buivydas, published in Delfi's Verslo požiūris section, raises an uncomfortable but increasingly relevant question: most employees already use AI at work, yet their managers often have no idea. The article examines the phenomenon of "shadow AI" and the risks it creates for organisations.
The article's core point is simple: AI use is already happening inside companies, whether or not management has formally allowed it. Employees open ChatGPT or another tool through personal accounts to get their work done faster. The problem is that this happens without clear rules, without training and often without any management oversight.
Buivydas points out that this situation creates two opposing risks at once. On one hand, banning AI means the company loses productivity gains and falls behind competitors. On the other, allowing it with no guidelines creates real risks around data security, confidentiality and compliance.
Instead of choosing between "ban it" and "ignore it", the article proposes a third path - deliberate AI governance. That means clear usage rules, employee training and a shared understanding of what data can and cannot be fed into AI tools.
The author stresses that this is not only a concern for large corporations. Even smaller companies face the same risks, and the first step is usually the simplest one: clearly defining how AI is used across the organisation.
The practical message for leaders: don't start with the technology, start by understanding what is already happening inside your organisation. Find out which tools employees already use, draft an AI usage policy and invest in employee AI literacy - especially as this is becoming an EU AI Act requirement.
You can take that first step with the free AI policy generator here.
Read Gediminas Buivydas's full article on the Delfi website.