[PagerDuty Survey] 66% Use AI Against Company Policy, Revealing Information Management Risks and Signs of Talent Mobility Seeking Better AI Environments

PagerDuty, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Nobuyuki Yamane; hereinafter: PagerDuty), a provider of incident management solutions, today announced the results of the "PagerDuty Shadow AI Survey" conducted among 1,250 office professionals in four countries, including Japan. As we enter an era where generative AI dictates business competitiveness, this survey revealed a significant gap between the field and management, with 66% of office professionals who have experience using AI tools at work continuing to do so, despite recognizing that it is "not permitted by company policy."

In particular, in Japan, 50% of employees are entering business emails into public AI tools, highlighting security challenges posed by "shadow AI" that evades governance. To achieve sustainable growth, companies urgently need to build flexible operational foundations that support employees' autonomous desire to utilize AI in a safe environment and promote innovation, rather than simply "restricting usage."

Background and Survey Intent

With generative AI such as ChatGPT and Gemini becoming commonplace in daily life, there has been a surge in employees acquiring AI skills on their own and seeking to improve work efficiency through personal judgment. However, in many cases, companies' AI adoption policies and environmental preparations have not kept pace with the speed of the field, leading to the widespread use of unauthorized AI (shadow AI) that management cannot fully grasp. This survey was conducted to visualize the actual use of AI among office professionals outside of IT and technology departments, and to explore the future of corporate governance by clarifying the awareness of employees in the field and its impact on organizational security and talent retention.

Key Survey Findings (3 Points)

"Shadow AI" Driven by the Field and Employees' Strong Confidence

It was found that 66% of employees who have experience using AI for work have used AI tools in the workplace, even though they recognized that it was "not permitted by company policy." Furthermore, 72% of respondents answered that they "understand how to utilize AI in their work better than their company's AI management team," revealing that employees in the field have strong confidence in their own AI skills.

Information Security Challenges Due to Excessive Information Exposure

With unauthorized AI use, there is an increasing number of cases where highly confidential internal data is entered into public models. 43% of respondents have entered business emails and other information into public AI tools that are not part of their company's internal systems, and it was also revealed that customer data (34%) and financial information/confidential documents (31%) are being entered. In Japan, in particular, the rate of entering "business emails" into public AI tools reached 50% (world average 43%), highlighting a unique trend in Japan.

Availability of a Better AI Environment Becomes a Factor in Talent Retention

75% of employees responded that they are "likely to change jobs to a new workplace that offers better AI skill development opportunities." Additionally, 77% of employees feel that "restrictions and policies regarding AI use at their company are hindering their professional growth and career potential," suggesting that neglecting to invest in appropriate AI environment development and skill training carries the risk of losing talented personnel.

These survey results indicate that strict policies that unilaterally restrict AI use in companies are ineffective and can instead increase risks (shadow AI) operating below the surface, leading to decreased employee motivation and talent outflow. Companies today are required to invest in environments where employees can safely utilize AI and develop their skills under clear and consistent guidelines.

For more details on the survey, please see below.

Materials Download Site (Official PagerDuty HP)

https://www.pagerduty.co.jp/resources/shadowai_survey_2026_pagerduty/

PagerDuty Report Finds Two-Thirds (66%) of Office Professionals Have Used Unauthorized AI Tools at Work (English)

https://www.pagerduty.com/newsroom/shadow-ai-workplace-survey-2026/

[Survey Overview]

Survey Name: PagerDuty Shadow AI Survey

Survey Period: April 9 - April 20, 2026

Survey Method: Email invitation and online survey

Survey Target: Office professionals (excluding IT and technology departments) working at companies with annual revenue of $500 million or more.

Target Regions: 4 markets: Australia, Japan, the UK, and the US.

Number of Valid Responses: 1,250 in total (US: 500, Japan/UK/Australia: 250 each)

About PagerDuty (Company Overview)

PagerDuty Japan K.K. is the Japanese subsidiary of PagerDuty, Inc. (NYSE:PD), a global leader in digital operations management, supporting the efficiency of large-scale IT operations. The "PagerDuty Operations Cloud" we provide is a flexible and scalable platform that integrates incident management, AIOps, automation, and customer service operations. By adopting Operations Cloud, companies can reduce the risk and cost of operational failures, and expand revenue by increasing the speed of innovation. More than half of Fortune500 companies and nearly 70% of Fortune100 companies have adopted PagerDuty as essential infrastructure for the modern enterprise. Please see our customer case studies in Japan here.