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The Incentives Lab
HBT-INC-0251 · Dimension INC · Incentives

Shadow AI

Employees using unauthorized AI tools to get work done.

Adoption·AI-Behavioral Coupling·Grade C·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Employees using unauthorized AI tools to get work done.

Plain-English Definition

Employees using unauthorized AI tools to get work done.

Feynman Explanation

Your real AI strategy is whatever your team's actually using.

Core Principle

Employees using unauthorized AI tools to get work done.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Your real AI strategy is whatever your team's actually using.

Examples

Everyday
  • Personal ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot subscriptions across the org.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Governance gap and competitive intelligence loss.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Sanction great tools. Provide better internal alternatives. Train, don't punish.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
C (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★☆☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Governance gap and competitive intelligence loss.
Amplifying Incentives
Governance gap and competitive intelligence loss.
Org Failure Modes
Governance gap and competitive intelligence loss.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Sanction great tools. Provide better internal alternatives. Train, don't punish.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Sanction great tools. Provide better internal alternatives. Train, don't punish.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Sanction great tools. Provide better internal alternatives. Train, don't punish.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-INC-0251 · INC
Shadow AI
SAACAdoption Curve (AI)AAAlgorithmic AversionCACargo-Cult AdoptionJRJob RedesignPPPilot PurgatoryRMResistance MappingSASandbagging AdoptionSTStatus Threat (AI)AUAcceptable Use Polic…AgAgent

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.