---
title: Introducing Maro's Shadow Assessment for AI Governance | Maro
description: AI adoption is already happening across the workforce. Do you have the behavior observability needed to guide it securely?
image: https://seekmaro.com/hubfs/graphic-blog-shadow-ai-assessment-v3.png
---
# Introducing Maro's Shadow Assessment for AI Governance
 Gwen Betts // ** January 26, 2026
** [ai governance](https://seekmaro.com/blog/tag/ai-governance)
It's no secret that human risk has long been one of the industry's [most wicked problems](https://seekmaro.com/blog/cybersecurity-theater-and-the-wicked-problem-of-human-risk). People adapt faster than yearly policy cycles and governance tends to lag behind the promise of new and innovative technologies. [Generative AI has only expanded that gap.](https://seekmaro.com/blog/the-policy-enforcement-chasm)
With it now embedded across nearly every workflow, ungoverned AI usage has become one of the clearest expressions of human risk organizations are dealing with today. Employees are increasingly making high-stakes decisions without consistent guidance or right-time guardrails, and largely outside the visibility of traditional security controls.
Recent research reinforces what many teams are already seeing firsthand. Findings from [KPMG's Trust in Artificial Intelligence survey](https://kpmg.com/au/en/insights/artificial-intelligence-ai/trust-in-ai-global-insights-2025.html) point to specific shadow behaviors that are common in day-to-day workflows.
### Workplace Indicators
47%
Received AI Training
57%
Hide AI Use
66%
Don’t Verify AI Outputs
48%
Upload Data to Public AI
Findings from KPMG, Trust in Artificial Intelligence Global Insights (2025)
And those aren't the only ones that play an outsized role in shaping AI-related usage risk...
- 😕 Employees often use personal accounts instead of corporate credentials.
- ☹️ Sometimes, teammates unintentionally share conversation chat links externally.
- 😬 And in frequent cases, the configuration setting for data to be retained for training purposes doesn't get toggled off, thus allowing AI providers to use content in ways employees don't fully understand.
Individually, these behaviors feel insignificant. Collectively, they shape the risk posture of AI usage and underscore the need for security teams to have meaningful oversight.
What's missing is [behavior observability](https://seekmaro.com/blog/rethinking-human-risk-starts-with-guiding-behaviors). In simple terms, it's the ability to see how people use AI as part of their tasks, including the intent behind the action, the context of usage, and the impact of the outcome. And without it, your [policy enforcement chasm](https://seekmaro.com/blog/the-policy-enforcement-chasm) grows larger.
## Enter Maro's Shadow AI Assessment
AI adoption is here and happening. Maro's Shadow AI Assessment helps you understand how it's actually being used across your workforce instead relying on app-level visibility only. The assessment begins with [shadow AI discovery](https://seekmaro.com/shadow-ai) by illuminating real tasks and workflows where generative AI is leveraged most by your people. From there, patterns emerge that clarify where risk concentrates and which behaviors warrant attention.
The findings from the assessment allow governance to move from theoretical to enforceable. When AI usage is understood in context, policy enforcement becomes more targeted and timely. And rather than defaulting to broad allow-or-block policy decisions, you can begin to govern AI usage in ways that reflect how work is actually done and provide course-corrective safeguards where exposure is most likely to occur.
This is [adaptive human protection](https://seekmaro.com/) in practice. By grounding governance in behavior, intent, and context, Maro's [cognitive security agents](https://seekmaro.com/how-maro-works) bring this approach to life, and enable timely, context-aware intervention that helps reduce human risk before it escalates.
## The Assessment Journey and What to Expect
The Shadow AI Assessment is designed to be light-weight and low-friction. Getting started is fast and simple, and most teams complete it in a few short steps.
- **Kickoff and Alignment: **The process starts with a short kickoff to align on your organization's current AI posture and what good looks like in your environment.
- **Scope and Deploy: **From there, a small group of employees are selected to participate and the Maro browser extension is deployed with hands-on guidance.
- **14-Day Assessment Period: **Over two weeks, Maro quietly observes AI usage. You'll get real-time updates directly in the Maro portal and weekly reports from our team.
- **Review and Next Steps:** Findings are reviewed collaboratively, with a focus on action. Your team will gain clarity on where AI usage is already embedded, where governance gaps exist, and where enforceable guardrails will have the greatest impact.
## What You'll Receive
### A Shadow AI Findings Report
An executive-ready view of how AI is actually being used across the workforce, grounded in real behavior and highlighting where exposure is most likely to occur.
### An AI Policy Gaps Inventory
Clear visibility into where widespread AI usage exists without defined policy guidance, helping teams understand which the mosti mportant gaps and which to address first.
### An Enforcement Readiness Roadmap
Strategic direction on where and how to introduce enforceable guardrails, prioritized by use case and risk context to reduce exposure with minimal friction.
## Start Securing AI Adoption with Maro
With Maro's [Shadow AI Assessment](https://seekmaro.com/shadow-ai), you will gain clarity within days on how generative AI is actually being used down to sensitive prompts, data exposure points across the workforce, and the governance gaps that stand in the way of enforceable oversight.
AI usage is already happening, and enforcement doesn't have to wait. Most existing controls detect AI application access, not behavior, which means risk is often discovered after exposure has already occurred. Starting with behavior-level visibility helps close the gap between policy intent and reality, enabling AI usage to be governed safely and strategically as work continues to evolve.
### Request Your Shadow AI Assessment
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