The Threat of Out-of-Control Artificial Intelligence in Companies and Management Methods
According to the Reco report, IT audits fall short for eighty percent of corporate AI tools. IBM data shows that shadow AI increases costs.
Artificial intelligence tools used in companies without IT oversight lead to security vulnerabilities and increased costs. The State of Agent Security 2026 report prepared by Reco reveals that a large portion of corporate AI tools operate without authorization.
The Scale of Shadow AI Spread
According to research data, eighty percent of AI tools in companies operate without any IT oversight.
In small and medium-sized enterprises, hundreds of unauthorized AI tools have been detected per thousand employees.
Costs and Security Impacts
IBM data shows that unauthorized AI usage significantly increases data breach costs and puts companies at risk.
When security teams conduct scans, they can encounter AI integrations in unexpected areas.
Mapping Access Areas
Instead of shutting down all unknown tools immediately, a map of the systems that AI can access should be created first.
Tools accessing customer data or source codes have different risk levels compared to systems accessing only publicly available information.
Ownerless and Orphaned Agents
Orphaned agents set up for temporary projects and forgotten after the projects end continue to pose security vulnerabilities in systems.
Even when employees change departments, the access privileges of these tools can continue to operate in the background.
Prioritization and Triage Process
Instead of shutting down hundreds of discovered tools all at once, companies need to rank them based on their criticality.
AIs that touch customer information, financial workflows, and production systems must be brought under control as a priority.