CEOs across industries are racing to rewire their operations for AI, upskill their talent to accomplish work AI can’t do (yet), and keep investments flowing to the technologies promising the transformational results their boards expect. Yet, many have a blind spot when it comes to the hidden risks AI also represents to the modern business.

Unlike past technology-driven innovation waves, AI presents a unique risk vs. reward challenge to companies. That’s because the very AI tools business leaders now count on to deliver breakthrough results in productivity, creativity, efficiency and agility, by their very use, pose dangers and threats possibly as significant as the gains they enable.  

Examples of some of the most common “well-intentioned” AI technologies frequently used by enterprise teams today include:

• Generative AI chatbots and co-pilots;
• AI-powered coding assistants;
• AI note-takers, document and meeting summarizers.

 

For companies with workforces—even on a limited basis—that rely on these technologies to complete portions of their daily responsibilities, the potential risks are severe and costly.  Foremost, that risk includes unauthorized or shadow AI usage and non-compliance with company or industry regulations for privacy, security, and ethical AI use. The likelihood this unsafe use is happening is very high. Consider these findings from an August 2025 article in HR Dive[1] highlighting responses from a recent Anagram survey:

• 45% of workers say they’ve used banned AI tools on the job;
• 40% said they’d knowingly violate company policy to finish a task quicker;
• 58% said they’ve posted sensitive data into AI tools, including client records, financial data and internal documents.

 

What’s a leadership team to do in the face of trends like these?  Publishing AI Guidelines and Terms of Use policies may appease the Compliance Office, but the likelihood those documents change workforce behavior isn’t high and could even drive it further into the shadows. 

The real challenge for most company leaders trying to guard against the risks these tools represent is:

1. They lack the visibility to know which unwanted tools have made their way into the company in the first place;
2. Or, of the AI they do authorize, which are being used safely and securely and where is potential exposure.

 

When it comes to understanding AI usage practices for the in-office direct workforce, the challenge is high enough.  For AI products being used by work-from-home employees, that visibility becomes murkier.  Most concerningly, knowing how contractors, service providers and staffing agency resources are using AI on your data is the biggest – and most dangerous – blind spot of all.

The best practice is to complement AI policies with data and insights on what AI tools are being used, by what teams, and how are they being used.  Workforce intelligence, such as our platform, SapienceIQ, helps leaders prepare for, and deliver, AI solutions across their company while mitigating risk and security issues.  AI outcomes SapienceIQ delivers include:

1. Identifying AI tool training gaps, adoption barriers, and skill mismatch across teams;
2. Evaluating which processes are ready for AI augmentation or full automation;
3. Quantifying AI-driven gains in productivity, efficiency, and business outcomes;
4. Tracking AI usage for security and misuse concerns, and alignment with enterprise policies.

 

Your company’s investments in AI are likely considerable, just like your expectations for results from these technologies.  With the insights workforce intelligence provides into your full organization’s usage with AI, your probabilities for success are higher, your ROI greater, and your risks due to AI misuse, negligence, or unethical practices are significantly reduced.

 

To learn more about ways SapienceIQ helps company leaders achieve the highest—and most responsible—results possible from AI, schedule a demo or contact us to have a conversation with one of our workforce intelligence experts.

 

[1] Nearly half of workers say they’ve used banned AI tools at work, survey finds, HR Dive, August 13, 2025