Esper established a clear policy for employees to pilot new AI tools. They can experiment without ingesting proprietary data, then submit promising tools to an IT and security-led committee that promises a quick decision. This approach balances fostering innovation with maintaining security.

Address security concerns by granting AI tools access incrementally. Start with low-risk tasks like drafting content. As you build confidence, gradually allow it to read your emails, then your calendar, and eventually perform actions. This "trust spectrum" approach makes adoption more comfortable.

Samsara built a central endpoint that abstracts away complexities of using different LLMs like OpenAI or Gemini. This gateway handles cost, security, and compliance, allowing any product engineer to quickly build and deploy AI features without specialized expertise.

The key to adopting advanced security tools is making the overall workflow superior to traditional methods. By simplifying the entire process from proof-of-concept to production, secure platforms can make privacy-preserving ML deployments faster and easier, reframing security as a bonus to a better user experience.

Employees often use personal AI accounts ("secret AI") because they're unsure of company policy. The most effective way to combat this is a central document detailing approved tools, data policies, and access instructions. This "golden path" removes ambiguity and empowers safe, rapid experimentation.

Low-code platforms have a massive opportunity to solve a decades-old security challenge by embedding "secure by default" guardrails. The key is transforming security from a technical hurdle into a configurable UI problem, making it digestible and manageable for the non-technical users who now build applications.

Sendbird's marketing team used AI to build a functional e-commerce swag store with Stripe integration and an easter egg—all without engineering support. This proves that enabling non-technical teams to build unlocks delightful ideas that traditional roadmaps would kill.

While AI accelerates the creation of UIs and features, it's ill-suited for critical infrastructure like authentication and compliance. WorkOS provides these enterprise-ready components as a service, allowing startups to quickly sell up-market without spending years building the unglamorous but essential security foundations.

Treat new AI agents not as tools, but as new hires. Provide them with their own email addresses and password vaults, and grant access incrementally. This mirrors a standard employee onboarding process, enhancing security and allowing you to build trust based on performance before granting access to sensitive systems.