How to combat shadow AI: Keeping your print business safe in the age of unauthorised AI use

As AI tools become part of everyday working life, many employees are using them without approval – creating what’s known as ‘shadow AI’. For printers handling sensitive client data, that’s a serious risk. This article explains what shadow AI is, why it threatens your business and how to manage it through clear policies, training and a culture of responsible innovation.

Artificial intelligence has moved rapidly from experimental to everyday. From drafting marketing copy to analysing sales data, tools like ChatGPT and other generative AI systems have become part of daily workflows – often informally. But this informal use has a dark side: shadow AI.

The term describes the unsanctioned use of AI tools by employees without company approval or IT oversight. According to Microsoft, it’s now one of the most pressing data security risks facing UK businesses.

For printers, who handle everything from confidential marketing materials to sensitive customer databases, the rise of shadow AI could mean serious trouble – from data breaches to compliance failures.

Shadow AI occurs when employees use external or unapproved AI tools – such as ChatGPT, Midjourney or online data analysers – for work tasks. This might include drafting emails, analysing sales figures, creating customer content or troubleshooting production workflows.

The problem? Most of these tools store or learn from the data entered into them. When an employee pastes an internal pricing sheet or client campaign brief into a public AI tool, that information can leave your secure environment and enter the tool’s training data.

As Keypoint Intelligence notes, this is particularly dangerous for print and document providers, where customer designs and brand materials are highly confidential.

This isn’t about ditching digital tools or reverting to manual processes. Automation and AI have clear benefits – they excel at repetitive tasks like scheduling, batching jobs and pre-flighting files. They also enhance customer self-service through template selection and artwork uploads.

AI-driven analytics can reveal customer trends and improve production efficiency. Used well, these tools free your team for higher-value work such as relationship building and creative problem-solving.

The challenge isn’t whether to use AI, but how to use it responsibly – knowing when automation adds value and when human judgment matters most.

1. Data leaks and confidentiality breaches
Printers often receive design files and marketing content under strict non-disclosure…