TrustedTech Global and U.S. Data Reveals Senior Leaders Are the Biggest Source of Shadow AI Risk in Organizations

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 2026--

TrustedTech, a Microsoft Managed Partner and leading provider of Microsoft cloud solutions and IT modernization services, today unveiled a striking paradox at the center of enterprise AI adoption: the most senior leaders in organizations are not only driving AI usage, but are also the most frequent users of unapproved tools, creating significant and largely unmonitored security risks.

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As organizations race to adopt AI technologies, the findings highlight a growing disconnect between policy and behavior at the highest levels of leadership. While companies continue to focus on controlling employee usage, TrustedTech’s data shows the real exposure is originating in the boardroom.

According to the report:

This combination of high usage, high awareness, and low adherence to policy underscores a critical issue: AI adoption is not being driven from the bottom up, it is being accelerated from the top down, often outside the boundaries of corporate governance.

“The conversation around AI risk has been focused in the wrong place,” said Julian Hamood, Founder of TrustedTech. “Organizations have been trying to control employee behavior, but what this data shows is that leadership teams are moving faster than the policies designed to guide them. When executives are using unapproved tools to move quickly, it creates a ripple effect across the entire organization.”

The findings suggest that senior leaders are not only aware of the risks associated with Shadow AI, but are actively participating in the very behaviors they seek to regulate. This dynamic creates a culture of mixed signals, where policies exist on paper but are not reflected in practice, leaving organizations exposed to data leakage, compliance gaps, and security vulnerabilities.

At the same time, the data reinforces that AI usage is no longer experimental, it is embedded in daily workflows. With nearly half of all professionals using unapproved tools and the vast majority acknowledging associated risks, organizations face an urgent need to rethink how they approach governance, visibility, and control.

“This isn’t about stopping AI adoption, it’s about bringing structure to something that’s already happening,” added Hamood. “Companies need visibility into how AI is being used across every level of the organization, especially at the leadership level, where the impact of decisions is the greatest.”

TrustedTech works with organizations to help them navigate this evolving landscape by providing the strategic guidance, governance frameworks, and technical expertise needed to adopt AI responsibly, ensuring that innovation does not come at the expense of security or compliance. For more information about TrustedTech and its Microsoft cloud licensing solutions and support, visit trustedtechteam.com

For the full whitepaper report, “Shadow AI in the workplace,” please visit:
https://www.trustedtechteam.com/pages/shadow-ai-whitepaper-download

ABOUT TrustedTech

TrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solutions Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud support services, perpetual licensing, and comprehensive professional services for medium and enterprise-sized organizations. TrustedTech is a member of the Microsoft Partner Network to ensure the delivery of industry-leading customer experiences. Known for combining competitive pricing with licensing optimization, TrustedTech excels at helping IT teams navigate complex Microsoft 365 and Azure environments. Its teams across the U.S.and U.K are highly certified Microsoft architects and engineers are among the world’s top experts, resolving advanced technical challenges faster than typical industry SLAs. TrustedTech has achieved all available Microsoft Solutions Partner designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program and continues to expand its capabilities to support customers through AI adoption, cloud modernization, and digital transformation initiatives.

Shadow AI in the Workplace - TrustedTech’s data shows the real exposure is originating in the boardroom.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 2026--

SeatGeek, the high-growth technology platform transforming the live event experience for fans, teams and venues, today announced the launch of its new product suite, “Game Day Your Way” — a connected set of product features that gives teams a complete, real-time picture of their fans across every touchpoint of game day, from parking to post-game. For the first time, ticketing, entry, concessions and payments live in one place, unlocking better operational decisions, new revenue opportunities and a more seamless experience for every fan in the building. The Game Day suite is one important step in SeatGeek's broader vision of creating a fully connected live event experience for rightsholders and fans alike.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260519426565/en/

For too long, teams have operated game day across a patchwork of disconnected systems. A fan walks through the gate, grabs food at a concession stand, redeems a loyalty offer, and makes a payment, and each of those moments lives in a different system, owned by a different vendor, invisible to the others. The result is an incomplete picture of how fans actually experience a game and limited ability to act on it in the moment.

SeatGeek's Game Day suite changes that. By connecting ticketing, entry, concessions and payments into a single unified system, teams gain a 360-degree view of fan behavior and spend and the tools to act on it in real time. That means resolving a ticketing issue from the concourse, pushing a personalized offer to a fan who just entered the building, or adjusting concession staffing based on live wait time data, all from one place.

The suite was piloted at Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, where it is serving as a proof point for what a fully connected game day looks like in practice.

"Teams have always had data on their fans, but it has never lived in one place," said Russ D'Souza, Co-Founder of SeatGeek. "Our Game Day suite connects every touchpoint of the fan journey into a single system, giving teams the full picture they need to make better decisions on game day and build deeper relationships with their fans over time. What's happening at Rocket Arena is one important step toward that vision."

For fans, the difference is felt immediately. Faster entry, real-time wait times, and easier in-venue transactions bring the kind of seamless experience that once felt reserved for premium ticketholders and VIPs to every fan in the building.

"SeatGeek’s Game Day tools provide us a clear, real-time view of how our fans move through Rocket Arena and experience a Cavs game, from the moment they arrive until the moment they head home," said Chris Kaiser, Chief Marketing Officer of the Cleveland Cavaliers. "We’re obsessed with finding a better way, and the insights we gain from this platform will elevate the fan experience and strengthen how we deliver for our guests and partners every night."

Key features in the Game Day suite include:

The Game Day suite was successfully piloted at Rocket Arena and is available to SeatGeek enterprise partners. Learn more at SeatGeek's Game Day Your Way hub.

ABOUT SEATGEEK

SeatGeek was founded in 2009 when three live event fans had the crazy idea that modern technology could improve the live event-going experience for everyone – fans, teams, and artists. Today, SeatGeek offers a trusted marketplace for fans to easily buy and sell tickets to the events they love and provides primary box office technology for some of the most prominent names in sports and entertainment globally.

SeatGeek Launches Game Day Your Way Product Suite to Give Teams More Complete View of Their Fans