Webinar Description
Key Takeaways
- Live panel examining Shadow AI through security, governance and workforce behaviour lenses
- Expert perspectives from enterprise cybersecurity, academic AI governance and neuroscience-informed AI strategy
- Designed for CIOs, CISOs and leaders responsible for AI adoption, risk and transformation
- Focus on understanding why employees turn to unapproved AI tools and how organisations can respond effectively
Understanding the Shadow AI Challenge
A live panel discussion scheduled for 30 September 2026 will bring together cybersecurity, governance and behavioural science experts to examine the growing challenge of Shadow AI in enterprise environments. The session targets senior technology and risk leaders grappling with the tension between enabling AI innovation and maintaining security and compliance controls.
Shadow AI refers to the use of artificial intelligence tools and services by employees without formal organisational approval or oversight. As generative AI capabilities have become widely accessible through consumer applications, many workers have begun using these tools to augment their productivity, often bypassing established procurement and security processes. This creates blind spots for security teams and governance frameworks designed around traditional software deployment models.
Three Perspectives on a Complex Problem
The panel brings together three distinct viewpoints that collectively address the technical, regulatory and human dimensions of Shadow AI risk.
Bahar Fardaran, Security Solution Lead for APAC at Lumen Technologies, will address the enterprise cybersecurity perspective. Her contribution focuses on how organisations can manage emerging AI risks without creating barriers that stifle legitimate innovation. This balance has become increasingly difficult as AI tools proliferate and traditional perimeter-based security models prove inadequate for controlling cloud-based AI services.
Associate Professor Raza Nowrozy, Professor of Industry (Cyber Security) at Melbourne Institute of Technology, brings academic rigour to questions of AI governance and responsible adoption. His perspective addresses how organisations can build trust frameworks that accommodate AI while maintaining appropriate oversight and accountability structures.
Dr Mahtab Ameri, a neuroscientist and AI strategist at NeuroAIQ, offers insight into the behavioural drivers behind Shadow AI adoption. Understanding why employees seek out unapproved tools is essential for designing interventions that address root causes rather than simply adding restrictions that workers will circumvent.
Why Shadow AI Demands Attention Now
The rapid democratisation of generative AI has fundamentally changed the Shadow IT landscape. Unlike previous generations of unsanctioned software, AI tools can process sensitive corporate data, generate content that represents the organisation, and make decisions with material business impact. The exposure extends beyond traditional security concerns into areas of intellectual property protection, regulatory compliance and reputational risk.
Conventional security controls often fail to detect or prevent Shadow AI usage because these tools operate through standard web interfaces and do not require software installation. Employees may upload confidential documents to AI services, share proprietary information in prompts, or rely on AI-generated outputs without appropriate verification, all without triggering existing monitoring systems.
Intended Audience
The session is designed for CIOs, CISOs and senior leaders with responsibility for artificial intelligence strategy, cybersecurity, enterprise risk management, governance frameworks, digital transformation and AI adoption programmes. The content assumes familiarity with enterprise technology environments and the strategic challenges of balancing innovation with control.
Practical Focus Areas
Attendees can expect discussion around the motivations that drive employees toward unapproved AI tools, the specific exposure points that Shadow AI creates beyond what traditional security controls address, and practical intervention strategies that enable organisations to maintain governance without impeding beneficial AI adoption. The panel format allows for examination of how these three perspectives intersect and where coordinated approaches may prove more effective than siloed responses.