AI Is the New Shadow IT: Why Blocking It Never Worked with Jack Smith

Work with Aaron: https://protectitallpod.com/work/

The book: https://protectitallpod.com/book/

This episode: https://protectitallpod.com/ep126/

The OT Security Starter Kit: https://protectitallpod.com/starter-kit/

Shadow IT used to be a server in a closet. Today it is Linda from sales uploading confidential quotes to whatever AI tool she found first, and your corporate data leaving with it.

Jack Smith has spent more than 25 years in enterprise IT, across infrastructure, networks, datacenters, cloud and incident management, and he hosts the IT Horror Stories podcast. His argument is that AI is not a new problem, it is the latest version of an old one, and that the reflex to block it at the firewall has never worked and will not work now.

Aaron and Jack get into where AI genuinely helps, where it quietly does not, and the question of what happens when a system that gives a different answer every time is asked to make a decision that has to be the same every time.

What you will take away

Why blocking AI tools fails the same way blocking USB sticks and webmail failed

The difference between a tool that optimises your work and a tool you hand your work to

Why analytics and diagnosis are the strong case for AI, and treatment is not

The training gap: staff get GDPR training and security training, and no AI training at all