Years ago, I owned a web design business.
When Facebook and Twitter started appearing in the workplace, I saw what I thought was a lot of wasted time. Like many business owners at the time, I blocked access to both sites.
Not long afterwards, one of our team members, who happened to be an SEO specialist, quietly took me aside.
He said, "Sue, I think this is the future. Websites and search have been a huge part of our success, but a big part of what's next is going to be social media."
He was right.
Looking back, I wasn't trying to stop innovation. I was trying to protect productivity. What I hadn't recognised was that the way people worked was changing, and blocking the technology wasn't the right response.
I've been thinking about that conversation a lot recently as organisations grapple with AI.
Every week I hear discussions about Shadow AI. Employees using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or other AI tools without formal approval from the organisation.
The instinctive response is often to block them.
I understand why.
There are genuine concerns around privacy, intellectual property, commercially sensitive information and security. Those concerns are real and shouldn't be dismissed.
But I wonder if we're at risk of making the same mistake many of us made with social media.
The people using AI aren't usually trying to bypass IT or ignore company policy. More often, they're trying to do a better job. They're looking for ways to write reports faster, summarise meetings, analyse information, prepare presentations or simply save time.
Shadow AI is often a sign that people have found a better way to work before the organisation has caught up.
That doesn't mean every AI tool should be approved, or that every use of AI is appropriate. It does mean we should be curious about why people are using these tools in the first place.
One of the things we're beginning to see is that people don't just use AI. They begin working alongside it.
Over time they learn how to ask better questions, refine the responses they receive and naturally turn to AI to help with more of their day. It becomes part of the way they think and work.
That's why I believe organisations should engage with AI early.
If people spend months developing those habits with different AI platforms, moving to an approved organisational platform later becomes much harder. You're no longer asking people to change tools. You're asking them to change habits.
In my experience, those conversations are always easier before the habits become established.
So what should organisations do?
I don't think the answer is to pretend AI isn't happening. Nor do I think the answer is to let people use whatever they like.
The organisations that will benefit most from AI will be the ones that engage with it early. They'll choose platforms that align with their privacy, security and governance requirements, help their people understand when and how AI should be used, and create an environment where experimentation is encouraged within sensible guardrails.
Looking back, I'm grateful that someone challenged my thinking all those years ago.
The lesson wasn't that Facebook was good or bad. It was that technology shifts are inevitable.
The role of leadership isn't about stopping them. It's about helping people navigate them well.
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