Portal26 CEO Warns Enterprises of Shadow AI Risks

Arti Raman, CEO of Portal26, warns that enterprises face a significant observability gap due to the proliferation of generative AI tools. While mainstream AI services are typically managed centrally, Raman notes that a vast amount of AI is either embedded within SaaS platforms or introduced by employees as shadow AI, leaving IT teams unaware of the actual scale of adoption.

This lack of visibility creates governance and security risks, as data protection and compliance teams cannot monitor how AI is being utilized. Raman cites Gartner research indicating that 69% of organizations suspect employees are using prohibited public generative AI.

To mitigate these risks, Raman advises CIOs to prioritize observability and establish organization-wide usage policies. She further recommends that companies integrate generative AI risk assessments into their standard evaluation processes for SaaS tools.