At your next meeting, say to your client:
“Your people are already using AI tools—even if you haven’t approved any. We should take a look at where AI has crept into your business so it doesn’t create a security or compliance problem for you later.”
Most business owners still think “AI” means someone typing into a chatbot in their browser. In reality, AI is now baked into Microsoft 365, CRM, HR, finance, and line‑of‑business apps—and vendors are turning those features on by default.
Explain it this way:
- Employees are granting apps broad access to mailboxes, files, and company data when they accept AI‑related permissions because they want to use the AI tool.
- What can happen after that is that they start pasting customer, HR, or financial data into AI tools that may store and reuse that information in ways you never agreed to.
- Vendors are adding “AI insights” to existing tools and quietly changing how data is processed and who can see what. The problem is that we don’t know which tools those are based on and what how they are protecting the data that you give them.
Then connect it to risks they care about:
- Accidentally exposing confidential data.
- Violating contracts, NDAs, or industry regulations.
- Having no record of who approved what when something goes wrong.
The message is: AI isn’t the problem. Unmanaged AI is the problem. And we need to start managing it for you.
Then say,
“Let’s do a quick AI usage checkup. We’ll look at what AI tools your people are already using, which apps have access to your data, and whether anything looks risky. Then we’ll give you a short list of recommendations.”
Remember, You are not trying to shut everything down. You are trying to shine a light on what’s really happening and empower the business to make better decisions.
Offer a recurring AI governance service
Shadow AI is not a one‑and‑done project because vendors keep adding new AI features and changing defaults.
Benefits to emphasize:
- Fewer surprises when vendors push new AI features.
- A clear record that they took reasonable steps to govern AI usage.
- Visibility to the changing cost landscape.
- A trusted partner keeping an eye on AI so they don’t have to.
Better yet, decide to stop doing some things that are dated, of less importance than they were 10 years ago and replace them with these new services inside your contract with the client.
