# Unsanctioned, "Shadow" AI a Growing Risk: Blackfog Mar 25, 2026 [Floyd Smith](/content/blog/author/floyd-smith/index.html) is a member of the Larridin Content Team. He is a successful author and experienced B2B marketer for technologies ranging from databases, to reverse proxies, to quantum computing and AI. According to [a story in ChannelInsider](https://www.channelinsider.com/ai/blackfog-shadow-ai-growing/), a new report from Blackfog, which offers AI security and anti-data exfiltration technology, shows that unsanctioned, "shadow" AI is growing as a security risk. The survey reached 2,000 respondents, and found that: - 86 percent use AI tools at least weekly for work - 58 percent use free tools, which present security and governance issues when used for work - 34 percent admit to using free versions of AI tools _for which a company-approved version is available_ - 60 percent would take risks to meet deadlines - 21 percent believe that their employer would "turn a blind eye" to taking risks if it helped work get done on time And approval of risk-taking may be worse, the higher up the org chart one goes: 38 percent of junior executives believe that speed is more important than privacy or security, but 69 percent of the C-suite believe the same thing. For more information, see the report from Blackfog.