Discover and Govern Shadow AI
Learn how to discover, review, and govern Shadow AI usage in Sprinto using AI discovery, user visibility, risk monitoring, and violation tracking.
The Shadow AI section in Sprinto helps organisations discover AI tools and services being used across the organisation outside formal governance workflows.
Shadow AI may include:
Unapproved AI tools
AI-enabled SaaS applications
Public AI platforms
Unreviewed AI vendors
AI systems bypassing governance reviews
The Shadow AI workflow helps organisations:
Detect AI usage across the organisation
Review associated users
Monitor governance risks
Detect AI-related violations
Bring discovered AI systems into governance workflows
This helps organisations maintain visibility into unmanaged AI usage.
Navigate to Shadow AI
To access Shadow AI:
Log in to the Sprinto dashboard.
Navigate to Data Library.
Select AI Systems.
Open the Shadow AI tab.
The Shadow AI tab displays automatically discovered AI systems and associated governance information.
How Shadow AI Discovery Works
Sprinto can automatically discover AI systems being accessed across the organisation.
The discovery workflow helps identify:
AI vendors in use
Employees using AI systems
Risk exposure
Potential policy violations
AI tools outside approved governance workflows
Discovery information is surfaced directly in the Shadow AI inventory.
Shadow AI Inventory
The Shadow AI table provides visibility into discovered AI systems.
The inventory may include:
AI system name
Users
Discovery source
Discovery date
Risk level
Governance actions
This helps organisations review unmanaged AI usage centrally.
Discovery Sources
Sprinto can surface the source used to identify AI activity.
Examples may include:
Browser extensions
Monitoring integrations
Discovery workflows
This helps organisations understand how AI activity was detected.
Review Shadow AI Risk Levels
Sprinto automatically assigns risk classifications to discovered AI systems.
Depending on your configuration, risk levels may include:
Low
Medium
High
Critical
These classifications help organisations prioritise governance reviews.
Review Shadow AI Users
The Shadow AI workflow includes user visibility for discovered AI systems.
View Associated Users
To review users:
Open a discovered AI system.
Navigate to the Users section.
The Users section displays:
User names
User email addresses
Detection source
Last activity information
This helps organisations identify which users are accessing AI systems.
Review Shadow AI Violations
Sprinto can surface AI-related governance violations associated with discovered AI systems.
View Violations
To review violations:
Open a discovered AI system.
Navigate to the Violations section.
The Violations section displays:
Violation title
Associated user
Detection date
Severity level
This helps organisations investigate governance concerns related to Shadow AI usage.
Example AI Violations
Depending on your configuration, Sprinto may detect violations involving:
Personally identifiable information (PII)
Protected health information (PHI)
Legal or contractual information
Sensitive organisational data
These detections help organisations monitor AI-related data exposure risks.
Add Shadow AI to the AI Inventory
Discovered AI systems can be onboarded into the governed AI inventory.
Add a Shadow AI System
To add a discovered AI system:
Select the required AI system.
Click Add.
The AI system is moved into the governed AI inventory.
After onboarding, organisations can:
Assign owners
Assess risk
Perform due diligence
Configure governance workflows
Monitor compliance posture
Relationship Between Shadow AI and Governance
The Shadow AI workflow helps organisations reduce unmanaged AI adoption risks.
By onboarding discovered systems into governance workflows, organisations can:
Establish accountability
Perform risk reviews
Maintain governance records
Track compliance posture
Reduce unsanctioned AI usage
This helps improve overall AI governance maturity.
Governance Monitoring Workflows
Shadow AI workflows support ongoing governance monitoring.
Sprinto helps organisations:
Track discovered AI usage
Review risk exposure
Monitor violations
Identify governance gaps
Review user activity
This helps organisations maintain continuous oversight of AI usage across teams.
AI Governance Best Practices
When governing Shadow AI:
Review discovered AI systems regularly
Prioritise high-risk AI systems
Investigate sensitive data violations promptly
Bring unmanaged systems into governance workflows
Assign ownership for approved AI systems
Periodically reassess AI usage patterns
Monitor organisational AI adoption trends
Related Information
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