Peer-to-peer conversation: From Shadow IT to Shadow AI: Understanding Informal Artificial Intelligence Adoption in the South African Higher Education Landscape
TOPIC | From Shadow IT to Shadow AI: Understanding Informal Artificial Intelligence Adoption in the South African Higher Education Landscape |
SPEAKER(S) | Ms. Mpedi Kumalo – General Manager: Technology Services Ms. Sue Lose – Senior Manager: ICT Planning and Governance |
BIO | Mpedi Kumalo, Wits University – General Manager: Technology Services Mpedi Kumalo is a technology leader with extensive experience in infrastructure, data governance, and network services. As General Manager: Technology Services, she oversees the reliability, security, and performance of core technology environments that support organisational operations and digital growth. Her work focuses on strengthening foundational technology capabilities while addressing emerging risks linked to shadow IT and shadow AI. Ms Kumalo brings a practical perspective on how organisations can maintain control and visibility over their technology landscape while balancing user-driven innovation with data protection, network and infrastructure security. In conversations on AI and digital transformation, she offers insight into the critical role of infrastructure and data governance in enabling responsible adoption, highlighting the importance of establishing secure architectures in increasingly complex technology environments. Sue Lose, Wits University – Senior Manager: ICT Planning and Governance Sue Lose is an experienced ICT professional with experience in governance, risk, compliance, and cybersecurity across multiple industries. In her current capacity, she is responsible for ICT strategy, governance frameworks, and key digital initiatives, including the responsible adoption of emerging technologies such as AI. Her portfolio focuses on balancing innovation with strong governance, ethical practice, and effective risk management. In the context of AI, Ms Lose brings a practical, governance-led perspective on how organisations can adopt AI responsibly ensuring appropriate oversight, managing risk, and aligning initiatives with regulatory and strategic priorities. She offers clear, actionable insights on building secure, sustainable, and well-governed digital environments, with an emphasis on clear and comprehensive policies, and proactive risk management practices. |
ABSTRACT | Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly embedded in higher education institutions, enhancing teaching, research, and administrative efficiency. Alongside formal institutional adoption, the widespread availability of generative AI tools has enabled informal and unregulated use by students, academic staff, and professional services personnel. This phenomenon, referred to as Shadow AI, represents an evolution of traditional Shadow IT, extending to AI‑driven tools that support cognitive tasks such as academic writing, programming, research synthesis, and data analysis. In South African universities, Shadow AI emerges within a complex digital transformation context characterised by uneven technological infrastructure, power instability, evolving governance frameworks, and increasing academic workloads. This conversation examines the implications of emerging Shadow AI ecosystems in South African higher education, focusing on governance, accessibility, security, infrastructure readiness, and academic integrity. The dialogue proposes context‑sensitive governance strategies to support responsible AI adoption within South African universities. Keywords: Shadow AI; Artificial Intelligence Governance; Higher Education; Shadow IT; Generative AI; Digital Transformation; South African Universities; Academic Integrity |
Please extend this invitation to any other interested parties at your university | |