7 Shadow AI Examples and Common Scenarios
21 January 2026
Use CasesLocate old, unused content that AI can still discover, then clean or archive it. Don’t let outdated info slip through the cracks and become tomorrow’s leak.
The Scenario
Years of projects hide in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. With the right query, Copilot can easily surface a 2016 salary sheet or a shelved M&A deck. Compliance wants to delete the files, and IT has enough to do without scouring the entire database.
No-code deployment and hassle-free setup.
Scan titles, timestamps, and owners without agents or downtime.
Files and chats are ranked by last open date, sensitivity label, and AI exposure potential.
Heat-maps show the locations of every piece of discoverable data, new and old.
Push tasks to data owners or auto-archive; then re-scan to prove the clutter is gone.
Reduce storage needs, search clutter, and accidental leaks all at once.
Limit Copilot’s access to data that people should find.
Leaner libraries supercharge search and lower backup costs.
Give leadership the full view of risk and remediation over time.
These capabilities turn “messy file graveyard” into a lean, policy-compliant knowledge base, without months of manual sorting.
Core Capabilities
Connects to M365 tenants in minutes, so you can get started faster.
Reveals ownership, access patterns, and visibility of stale data.
Tests Copilot prompts to show which outdated files are still discoverable.
One click applies retention labels (archive, delete, keep) to ensure alignment with governance rules.
Converts purge recommendations into action plans with owners and completion tracking.
