How It Works
Free Checklist
Your Team Is Already Using AI.
Are You Governing It?
71%
of UK employees use unauthorised AI tools weekly
(Microsoft UK, October 2025)
Every undocumented instance creates GDPR exposure, IP risk, and enterprise procurement barriers. The £500 Shadow AI Audit provides visibility in 2 weeks.
The Problem: Shadow AI Creates Cascade Risk
Most UK agencies discover 8-12 unauthorised AI tools when we audit them. ChatGPT Free. Claude. Midjourney. Gemini. Tools your team uses daily to work faster.
Each unauthorised tool creates three simultaneous GDPR breaches when client data enters it. Each breach creates audit exposure. Each audit creates more breach discovery. The cascade accelerates until an enterprise client asks a simple question: "How do you govern AI usage?"
Without documented governance, you can't answer. The £500K contract opportunity isn't viable.
I was a partner in two South African agencies that faced the same external crisis. XEIOH survived because pharmaceutical clients had demanded rigorous governance through vendor audits. Those requirements felt like bureaucracy until they became survival infrastructure.
The other agency closed during the same crisis. The business maintained operational practices appropriate to its context. Under extraordinary external pressure, informal governance couldn't provide documented resilience.
Michael MacDonald
Former agency partner with AI certifications from Wharton, Vanderbilt, and Northeastern.
"Governance only reveals its value after something breaks. Shadow AI is breaking your business right now. You just can't see it yet."
This isn't Big 4 bureaucracy or legal documentation nobody follows. It's practical governance that creative teams can actually use while maintaining the speed that makes agencies competitive.
Complete Visibility in 2 Weeks
Week 1: Discovery
  • 90-minute diagnostic interview with your leadership team
  • Comprehensive tool mapping across all departments
  • Workflow analysis showing where AI enters your operations
  • Data classification assessment
Week 2: Delivery
  • 8-12 page audit report documenting findings
  • Risk heat map prioritising your top 5-7 exposures
  • Recommendations roadmap with clear next actions
  • 45-minute presentation to your leadership team
  • No obligation to proceed with implementation
You receive documented evidence of three things: what AI tools operate in your agency, where GDPR exposure exists, and what enterprise clients will ask that you cannot answer.
Is This Right for Your Agency?
Enterprise clients are asking security questions about your AI usage and you don't have documented answers
You know your team uses AI tools but you don't know which ones or what data they're uploading
GDPR compliance keeps you awake but you're not sure where your actual exposure is
The ICO has made AI and biometrics their #1 enforcement priority for 2025-26
You're evaluating governance systems and want to understand your baseline before investing
You're in marketing, creative, digital, or healthcare communications and enterprise clients are raising security questions
GovernFirst, not AI-First.
This audit works for agencies seeking to govern AI usage rather than restrict it.
Two Weeks, Four Steps
1
Week 1, Days 1-3: Diagnostic Interview
We meet with your leadership team to understand your operations, client base, data handling requirements, and current AI awareness. This surfaces what you know and what you don't.
2
Week 1, Days 4-7: Tool Mapping
We audit your agency's AI usage through workflow analysis, team interviews, and system review. Most agencies discover 8-12 tools they didn't know were running.
3
Week 2, Days 1-5: Risk Assessment
We map findings to GDPR requirements, enterprise procurement standards, and commercial exposure. You get a heat map showing where £20-100K incidents wait to happen.
4
Week 2, Days 6-7: Report & Presentation
You receive the complete audit report plus 45 minutes with me walking through findings, recommendations, and next actions. No sales pressure. Just clarity.
Typical Audit Findings
Most UK agencies using AI without governance reveal:
8-12 unauthorised tools
operating across the agency
5-7 risks
worth £20-100K each in potential GDPR fines or lost contracts
3-4 enterprise procurement questions
they cannot answer with documentation
60-80% of AI efficiency gains
absorbed as margin erosion rather than captured value

Margin Protection
Your team uses AI to work faster. Clients see the speed and demand lower fees. Without the Prompt Dividend rule, you absorb efficiency as margin erosion instead of capturing it as competitive advantage. The audit reveals how much value is leaving through undocumented AI usage.
The audit doesn't just identify problems. It quantifies commercial impact. You'll see exactly what Shadow AI costs you in risk exposure and lost margin.
Investment & Context
The Shadow AI Audit costs £500.
One GDPR breach investigation costs £8-25K in legal fees before any fine. One lost enterprise contract costs £200-500K in missed revenue. One IP exposure incident costs £50-150K in client remediation.
The £500 investment provides visibility into potential exposure that typically ranges from £100-200K in risk. That's a 200:1 to 400:1 return on identifying what's already operating in your agency.
Audit Investment
£500
A small investment for significant insight into your agency's AI risks.
Typical Exposure
£100-200K
Quantifying the potential financial impact of unaddressed Shadow AI.
200:1 to 400:1 return
If the audit reveals you don't need governance systems yet, we'll tell you. This isn't about selling implementation. It's about giving you visibility to make informed decisions.
Most agencies convert the £500 audit into a £3,500 Governance-Ready Pilot Blueprint. But that's your decision after you see what the audit reveals.
What Happens After the Audit
The audit delivers complete visibility. What you do with it is up to you.
Option 1: Implement Yourself
Take the recommendations roadmap and build governance systems internally. The audit report gives you the blueprint.
Option 2: Governance-Ready Pilot Blueprint
£3,500
Four-week implementation delivering enterprise-ready governance:
  • Week 1: Current State mapping and risk assessment
  • Week 2: Three Simple Rules implementation (Data Traffic Light, Human Wrapper, Prompt Dividend)
  • Week 3: Team training and workflow integration
  • Week 4: AI Assurance Pack and enterprise procurement documentation
What takes 6-12 months DIY, we deliver in 4 weeks. You pass enterprise security questionnaires with documented evidence of governance capability.
Option 3: Do Nothing Yet
Some agencies aren't ready for governance implementation. The audit still gives you visibility and a roadmap for when external pressure arrives.
Option 4: Momentum Advisory Retainer
£2,500/month
Ongoing governance support after your Pilot Blueprint implementation:
  • Monthly: 60-minute advisory call, governance dashboard review, new tool evaluations (up to 2)
  • Quarterly: Policy updates as regulations evolve, team training refresher, benchmark report showing your governance maturity
  • As-needed: Enterprise procurement support when RFPs arrive, incident response guidance, regulatory change briefings
Your external AI governance team. Governance isn't one-and-done. AI tools evolve. Regulations change. Your usage grows. We keep your systems current so governance scales with your AI adoption.
60-70% of agencies proceed to the Pilot Blueprint after seeing audit findings. But there's no obligation. The audit stands alone as valuable documentation.
Common Questions
We're too small to need formal governance
Shadow AI doesn't care about company size. If you have 5+ staff and use AI tools, you have exposure. Small agencies lose £500K enterprise contracts because they can't answer procurement questions. That's expensive for any size.
Can't we just ban AI tools?
Banning doesn't work. 71% of employees use unauthorised AI despite company policies. Governance makes AI usage visible and accountable rather than forcing it underground where you can't see it.
Is this just compliance theater?
No. Enterprise-ready governance passes vendor assessments, which enables you to compete for larger contracts. Commercial advantage naturally includes compliance.
What if we discover we don't need governance yet?
We'll tell you. Some agencies genuinely aren't ready. The audit gives you a baseline and timeline for when governance becomes necessary.
Do I have to proceed with implementation after the audit?
No. The £500 audit delivers complete value on its own. If you want implementation support, the Pilot Blueprint option exists. But many agencies use audit findings to build governance internally.
How is this different from Big 4 consulting?
I'm an operator, not a consultant. Fifteen years as an agency partner. I implement frameworks that creative teams actually use, not enterprise bureaucracy that agencies can't afford or operate.
What happens if we're already using AI governance tools?
The audit evaluates whether your current systems create enterprise-ready documentation. Many agencies use tools without realising they don't satisfy procurement requirements.
Book Your Shadow AI Audit
£500. Two weeks. Complete visibility into your Shadow AI exposure.
Most agencies discover risks worth £100-200K in potential incidents or lost contracts. You'll know exactly where you stand and what actions make sense for your situation.
I'm building this consultancy while delivering each audit personally. Capacity is limited as the business grows, but I'd rather deliver quality work than rush through audits.
First call is free to discuss whether this makes sense for your agency.
Or email hello@brainsb4bots.com with "Shadow AI Audit" in subject line.
If the audit reveals you don't need governance systems yet, we'll tell you. This is about visibility, not pressure.
You deserve to know what's operating in your agency.