Optro Research Reveals 85 percent of Enterprises Have Deployed AI, but Only 25 percent Have Full Visibility

New report from Optro finds AI oversight falling behind adoption amid rising regulatory pressure and increased "shadow AI" usage

LOS ANGELES, March 17, 2026 /CNW/ -- Optro (formerly AuditBoard), the leading AI-powered GRC platform, today released its 2026 Risk Intelligence Report, "The AI Oversight Gap: Adoption is Scaling. Governance Controls Aren't." The research reveals a structural misalignment between rapid enterprise AI deployment and the governance infrastructure required to manage it, while providing strategic guidance for how robust oversight can serve as a catalyst for safe, high-velocity innovation.

The report, which surveyed over 800 global GRC and IT decision-makers, found while AI governance program maturity is advancing, AI adoption continues to outpace governance: 85 percent of organizations have integrated AI into core operations or multiple functions, but only a quarter have comprehensive visibility into employee AI use. This lack of transparency is particularly relevant as the industry shifts toward agentic AI systems executing multi-step actions with minimal human intervention.

Beyond mere compliance, the report indicates advanced governance frameworks act as a critical business accelerator. By embedding oversight and automated guardrails into the AI lifecycle, organizations can mitigate risks such as unsanctioned AI, also known as "shadow AI," while simultaneously streamlining the path from pilot to production. This integrated approach effectively shortens time-to-value, transforming security from a perceived bottleneck into a mechanism for rapid, confident scaling.

"Governance should not be viewed as a barrier to innovation, but as foundational for enabling organizations to deploy high-integrity AI," said Guru Sethupathy, GM of AI Governance at Optro. "Our research shows when monitoring and oversight are integrated into the AI lifecycle, organizations move faster and more securely. As agents increasingly perform complex tasks, the core work of the organization becomes the oversight and governance of those AI agents."

Key Infosec Insights from the 2026 Report:

• Rapid Adoption Brings Material Consequences: In the past 12 months, organizations reported significant AI-related incidents, including inaccurate outputs (40 percent), data breaches (27 percent), and regulatory actions (26 percent).
• Shadow AI is a Pervasive Concern: Roughly 80 percent of organizations describe "shadow AI" use as moderate to pervasive. The report suggests closing this visibility gap is the first step in transforming AI from a hidden risk into a governed corporate asset.
• AI-Enabled Attacks are Surging: 82 percent of organizations reported an increase in AI-enabled attacks over the past year. For 2026, leaders are prioritizing AI-assisted social engineering as their number one threat, ahead of ransomware.
• The Need for Unified Accountability: Currently, AI governance responsibility is fragmented, with no single function owning more than 25 percent of the remit. Organizations should take a centralized, connected risk approach to eliminate "security dead zones."

Based on the survey findings and their implications for infosec teams,  the report also introduces a five-phase maturity model designed to help Infosec and GRC leaders transition from "Reactive Oversight" to "Continuous Assurance." By moving policy enforcement out of static documents and into AI-driven workflows, enterprises can provide the guardrails employees need to use AI tools safely and creatively.

"AI adoption is moving faster than many organizations' ability to fully understand and govern how it's being used," said Kristin Colburn, Leader of Data and AI Governance at Dayforce. "To keep pace, governance needs to evolve from reactive and become proactive oversight to a continuous, integrated capability that helps organizations better understand AI use across the enterprise and manage the risks that come with it."

To download the full 2026 Risk Intelligence Report, visit Optro.ai.

About Optro 
Optro (formerly AuditBoard) helps enterprises transform risk into opportunity, redefining GRC through an agentic system of action. More than 50% of the Fortune 500 trust Optro to elevate audit, risk, and compliance in addressing a new era of risk. Optro is top-rated by customers on G2 and was named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Tools, Assurance Leaders. To learn more, visit: optro.ai.

Contact:
Laura Groshans
[email protected]

SOURCE Optro, Inc