Majority of Canadian office workers adopt shadow AI tools: IBM

More workers are engaging with AI tools to help them complete work tasks and increase their productivity. Chat GPT's landing page is seen on a computer screen. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have made their way into corporate environments as employees report using tools for work without formal approval from IT departments.

IBM says the growing reliance on personal AI tools in the workplace introduces serious risks to Canadian businesses, from potential data leaks and compliance issues to losing control of sensitive business information. Shadow AI, the use of software without oversight, costs nearly $308,000 per data breach, according to the company.

“It’s only growing until we actually are able to lock down the use of shadow AI, enable our employees and enable our organizations, but through sanctioned, governed, secured AI,” Daina Proctor, Canadian security services leader for IBM Canada, told BNNBloomberg.ca in a Friday interview.

A shadow AI survey from IBM found that while 79 per cent of full-time office workers said they use AI at work, 25 per cent rely on enterprise grade AI tools. The rest rely on a mix of personal and employer tools (33 per cent) or entirely on personal apps (21 per cent).

IBM said while AI tools offer organizations the opportunity to significantly improve productivity, the technology presents new challenges such as security threats. Despite the risk, the survey found AI adoption in the workplace is being led by employees.

“AI adoption in the workplace is no longer theoretical, it’s happening, and it’s being led by employees,” said Deb Pimentel, president of IBM Canada, in a news release. “To securely and efficiently harness the value of AI for smarter business operations, leaders should prioritize secure solutions, align AI with tangible business objectives, and foster a data-driven culture.”

Canadian workers overwhelmingly reported viewing AI as a tool that makes them better at their jobs as 97 per cent said they agree AI improves their productivity at work, 86 per cent felt confident using AI, and nearly 80 per cent said AI allows them to spend more time on the strategic or creative aspects of their roles.

“As humans, we’re going to find things to help ourselves to evolve ourselves to get more efficient, to get more creative to get more productive,” said Proctor. “As the saying goes, ‘water will flow downhill.’”

Surveyors found Canadian workers believe AI allows them to save time. More than half (55 per cent) said AI saves them between one and three hours per weeks and 26 per cent reported saving up to six hours. About 61 per cent of employees surveyed said AI allows them to complete a task faster, 43 per cent said AI enables more efficient workload management, 40 per cent said AI allows improved accuracy and 39 per cent said AI enables increased creativity.

While employees report using AI, highlighting benefits, only a small handful of surveyed employees (29 per cent) believe their employer is using AI to its full potential. Nearly half of workers (46 per cent) said they would leave their current job for one that uses AI more effectively.

Proctor said she wants companies to invest in AI so that employees don’t have to use personal devices.

“Organizations need to provide secured enterprise grade AI tools, or else we as individuals, we as employees, are going to find the AI tools that maybe our organizations don’t really want us to, so we need to close that gap,” said Proctor.

She said businesses are openly leaning into AI in a proactive, collaborative approach tailoring programs to ensure that their confidentiality, regulatory and conduct requirements are met to bridge the gap of what they need and what employees expect.

Methodology

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 4,000 full-time office workers who are not sole proprietors and are familiar with AI tools in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. The data was collected between May 23 to May 30, 2025.