Research & Data
Shadow AI Statistics 2026
Data on adoption rates, PHI exposure, and compliance risks in healthcare organizations
Content By The Numbers
Data from healthcare organizations, industry surveys, and security research
78%
Healthcare workers use AI tools without IT approval
Healthcare IT Security Study, 2024
5-10
Average number of shadow AI tools per organization
Enterprise AI Governance Report
0%
Organizations with complete visibility into AI usage
Gartner AI Governance Survey
92%
Organizations concerned about shadow AI risk
HIMSS Healthcare AI Survey
3.2M
Average records potentially exposed per breach
HHS Breach Portal Data
$5.5M
Organizations with complete visibility into AI usage
IBM Cost of Data Breach Report
Adoption Trends
Shadow AI usage is accelerating, not slowing down
Usage Growth
2023 Q1
43% staff using AI
2023 Q4
78% staff using AI
2024 Q2
89% staff using AI
Key Insight: 81% increase in just 18 months—shadow AI is becoming ubiquitous
Department Adoption
Revenue Cycle
91% adoption
Clinical Staff
84% adoption
Administrative
93% adoption
Key Insight: Every department is using AI—this isn’t isolated to tech-savvy teams
Compliance Awareness
Aware of HIPAA risk
23% of users
Have read AI policy
11% of users
Know if BAA exists
4% of users
Key Insight: Most staff have no idea they’re creating compliance risk
Risk & Impact Data
What happens when shadow AI goes unmanaged
PHI Exposure
100%
Organizations with PHI in shadow AI tools
4.7
Average AI tools with PHI exposure per org
0%
Shadow AI tools with proper BAAs
73%
Tools storing data on external servers
Financial Impact
$5.5M
Average healthcare data breach cost
$429
Cost per exposed record
277 days
Average time to identify & contain breach
$1.3M
Average OCR HIPAA penalty
Most Common Shadow AI Tools
The AI tools most frequently discovered in healthcare organizations
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Adoption Rate:
89%
Primary Use: Documentation, patient education, clinical summaries
Grammarly
Adoption Rate:
67%
Primary Use: Email writing, report editing, professional communication
Claude (Anthropic)
Adoption Rate:
43%
Primary Use: Appeal letters, policy analysis, complex documentation
Gemini (Google)
Adoption Rate:
38%
Primary Use: Research, data analysis, report generation
Otter.ai / Rev.ai
Adoption Rate:
31%
Primary Use: Meeting transcription, patient call documentation
Notion AI
Adoption Rate:
24%
Primary Use: Project management, note organization, team collaboration
Jasper / Copy.ai
Adoption Rate:
19%
Primary Use: Marketing content, patient communications, newsletters
The Governance Gap
92%
Organizations are concerned about shadow AI risk
14%
Organizations have implemented AI governance controls
The Problem: Everyone knows shadow AI is a risk, but almost no one has done anything about it. The gap between awareness and action is the opportunity.
What This Data Means
Shadow AI Is Not an Edge Case
With 78-89% adoption across all departments, this is standard operating procedure, not isolated incidents. Every organization has shadow AI.
Staff Don’t Understand the Risk
Only 23% of users are aware of HIPAA implications. This isn’t malicious—it’s a training and visibility problem.
Banning Won’t Work
Usage continues to grow despite organizational concerns. Prohibition has never worked. Governed enablement is the only path.
The Cost of Inaction Is Real
$5.5M average breach cost + $1.3M OCR penalties + reputational damage. The question isn’t ‘can we afford governance?’ but ‘can we afford not to?’
Don’t Be Part of the 86% Without Governance
Book a Shadow AI Risk Check and understand your specific exposure
