If your team uses Copilot, ChatGPT, or other AI tools to get work done, each is an “agent” or digital worker.
If those agents multiply without active monitoring, you get agent sprawl, where no one knows how many agents are running, who authorized them, and what sensitive data they’re accessing.
What’s happening: The average small business averages 25–55 SaaS apps, many without proper IT oversight.
Why it matters: Unlike human workers who clock out at the end of the day, AI agents are always on. This means they have 24/7 access to your business data. According to an IDC report, the world will have over 1 billion AI agents by 2029.
That’s 40X more than in 2025.
And most small businesses have no idea how many agents they have because SaaS tools quietly embed them.
This includes scheduling apps that use AI to optimize calendars, Copilots in SaaS apps, and niche SaaS platforms with embedded voice agents.
The real problem: You can’t protect what you can’t see. LastPass SaaS Monitoring + Protect allows you to get a handle on the Shadow AI problem.
