Shadow AI detection tools
Discover hidden AI usage across your organization and protect sensitive data from exposure.
or
How Auvik’s shadow AI discovery works for your team
Here’s how teams like yours are using Auvik’s shadow AI discovery to tackle their most pressing AI security challenges. These real-world use cases show exactly how our platform helps you regain control over unauthorized AI usage across your organization.
Reveal unauthorized AI tool usage
Employees increasingly use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Midjourney to enhance productivity — but often without IT’s knowledge or approval. Auvik’s shadow AI discovery tool deploys lightweight endpoint collectors to all devices that monitor web activity and application usage in real-time, automatically tracking when users log into AI platforms using web forms with username and password combinations. Plus, browser extensions analyze web traffic patterns and identify visits to known AI platforms from our database of over 125,000+ SaaS applications, including AI tools.
Our platform flags applications accessed multiple times per week as actively used tools and sends notifications when employees access newly discovered AI platforms. You can review detailed logs showing which Shadow AI applications are being used, who’s accessing them, and how frequently, whether within your own organization or across multiple independent sites. This automated process runs silently in the background, giving IT teams and MSPs continuous visibility and actionable insight to secure AI usage before risks escalate.
OR
Spot potential AI-related data exposure risks
Your employees may be uploading sensitive documents to AI platforms without realizing they’re exposing confidential information to external training datasets. Auvik’s shadow AI discovery tool performs comprehensive file behavior analysis, monitoring when users download files from web-based AI applications, which indicates potential data sharing activities. Our platform analyzes millions of security logs across our entire system to identify risky data handling behaviors with AI tools while providing Shadow AI risk analysis. You can also leverage identity provider integration to track which AI tools users access through corporate credentials.
OR
Monitor trends in AI tool adoption
Understanding how shadow AI usage evolves across departments requires comprehensive tracking — something most organizations lack. Auvik offers a 30-day QuickScan feature for near-instant visibility into newly adopted AI applications, while usage analytics track the frequency of AI tool usage, user engagement levels, and adoption patterns across business units. Growth trend reports provide detailed insights into adoption rates over time.
You also gain departmental-level visibility, identifying which business units are adopting specific AI tools and uncovering broader organizational trends. Auvik’s automated application categorization classifies discovered tools by type and function, helping you understand which categories of AI and Shadow SaaS are gaining traction. Meanwhile, real-time inventory updates ensure your AI usage data is always current, capturing new tool adoptions as they happen, so your trend analysis remains both accurate and actionable.
OR
Enforce AI governance policies with confidence
Catching policy violations after they’ve occurred leaves you constantly fighting fires instead of preventing them. Auvik’s shadow AI tool automatically identifies when employees use new AI tools that violate your established governance policies through continuous application detection. Real-time alerting sends immediate notifications when unauthorized AI tool usage is detected, while centralized governance reporting provides compliance reports and executive summaries for oversight.
You can maintain detailed audit trails that capture comprehensive logs of AI tool usage for compliance and governance auditing purposes. Our system generates automated compliance reporting that demonstrates adherence to AI governance policies and regulatory requirements, giving you the documentation needed for audits and regulatory reviews.
OR
Get started with Auvik SaaS Management
Book your free demo and get started with:
- A free trial of Auvik SaaS Management (no credit card required)
- A custom demo & pricing overview
- A free SaaS inventory scan
Book your free demo
Learn more about Shadow AI at Auvik
What is shadow AI?
Shadow AI refers to the use of artificial intelligence tools without IT approval or oversight — typically through personal accounts, unvetted subscriptions, or unsanctioned workflows. For example, employees might use ChatGPT with personal email addresses, generate reports with Claude sessions outside company policy, or create marketing content in Midjourney using independent accounts. While these tools can boost productivity, using them outside IT’s visibility introduces serious risks: you can’t control what sensitive data is being shared, nor how that data might be used to train external AI models.
How does Auvik detect Shadow AI usage?
Auvik deploys lightweight endpoint collectors that monitor web activity and application usage across your devices in real-time, tracking when users log into AI platforms through web forms. Our browser extensions analyze traffic patterns against our database of over 125,000+ SaaS applications, flagging any new AI tools accessed and alerting you to unauthorized usage.
Can Auvik block access to AI tools?
Auvik focuses on discovery and monitoring rather than blocking. Instead, we show you exactly what’s being used so you can make informed decisions about access control. While we don’t directly block applications, our integration with identity providers lets you enforce access policies through SSO controls, and our real-time alerts help you respond quickly to unauthorized usage.
What types of AI tools can Auvik detect?
Auvik can detect the full range of AI applications your employees might be using, from popular chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude to image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E, plus specialized tools for coding, writing, and data analysis. And we are constantly updating our database to catch new AI platforms as they emerge, so you’ll always know what’s being used in your organization.
How is Shadow AI discovery different from Shadow IT discovery in Auvik?
While both features identify unauthorized applications, Shadow AI discovery specifically targets software platforms that leverage artificial intelligence, which pose distinctive data training and exposure risks. Shadow AI discovery includes specialized risk scoring for AI tools, monitors for usage patterns, and provides AI-specific governance reporting that addresses the distinct compliance challenges these tools create.
What happens after Auvik detects a new Shadow AI tool?
You’ll receive an immediate alert with details about which AI tool was accessed and who’s using it. Auvik automatically generates risk scores and adds the tool to your AI inventory, so you can decide whether to approve the tool, provide safer alternatives, or work with users to transition their work to authorized platforms.
Does Auvik provide historical data on AI usage?
Yes, Auvik provides year-long historical visibility into AI tool adoption, letting you track usage patterns and adoption trends across your organization. You can access detailed reports showing when new AI tools were first discovered, how usage has grown over time, and which departments are driving adoption, giving you the insights you need to make strategic decisions about AI governance.