Leader looking at a screen with multiple AI tools, assessing risk and governance

Shadow AI: When good intentions become costly responsibility

Imagine that Per in the sales department spent an afternoon cleaning up the customer list. There were duplicate entries, errors in email addresses, and old newsletter sign-ups. Then he realized that the chatbot he pays for privately could do much of the work in a few minutes. He uploaded the Excel file and got a tidy list back. At the next department meeting, he proudly shared how much time he saved. Only then came the question no one had asked: What actually happened to the customer data when the file was uploaded? ...

October 7, 2026 · 10 min · Knut Petter Dimmen