Shadow AI: A Growing Risk for Companies, Warns Kaspersky Turkey GM

Companies relying on unregulated artificial intelligence (AI) tools face significant risks from “Shadow AI,” Kaspersky Turkey General Manager Ilkem Ozar cautioned. Shadow AI refers to AI tools used by employees or teams without approval from an organization’s IT department, similar to the concept of “Shadow IT.” This unregulated use of AI raises concerns about potential data security breaches, compliance failures, and unreliable outputs.

Ozar highlighted the dangers of using AI tools that operate on cloud-based platforms, noting that data uploaded to such systems may be processed and stored, creating risks of data breaches and unauthorized access. She emphasized the need for corporate users to choose platforms that adhere to ethical standards and reliability, particularly when sharing sensitive information through AI tools.

She also warned about the risks of AI models providing biased or inaccurate responses due to the quality of the data they are trained on, stressing that faulty or misleading data could lead to flawed decisions. Ozar recommended a proactive, centralized approach to AI usage, incorporating security mechanisms and educating employees on acceptable AI tool use to mitigate risks. Additionally, she advised businesses to implement advanced security solutions powered by AI to effectively combat emerging threats and maintain compliance with local regulations.