Fleet launches AI governance tools for employee devices

Fleet has launched AI governance features for its device management platform, aimed at giving IT and security teams oversight of AI tools on employee devices.

The new functions cover Mac, Windows and Linux systems. They address what Fleet describes as a growing endpoint issue: staff installing AI agents, browser extensions, local models, plugins and MCP servers outside formal procurement and approval processes.

The tools include AI inventory, token usage and spending tracking, session visibility, governance controls and auditable workflows. These are built into Fleet's existing platform rather than offered as a separate product.

According to Fleet, AI inventory and visibility are included in Fleet Free. Users can view installed AI tools, agents, skills, plugins and MCP servers across supported operating systems, with filtering by publisher, version and device.

Customers will also be able to track token usage by tool, user and device, giving them a view of how AI applications are being used and where spending is occurring across a fleet of managed devices.

Another element is session context, which Fleet says lets teams see what users send to AI tools and how those tools respond. This is intended to help security and compliance teams identify when corporate data, customer information or source code is being shared.

Governance controls are tied to Fleet's existing policy, reporting and remediation workflows. Governance decisions can also be managed through infrastructure-as-code and GitOps processes, making changes reviewable and reversible across operating systems.

Fleet positioned the launch as a response to a shift in security concerns, from software-as-a-service sprawl to unmanaged AI use on endpoints. It argues that employees can adopt AI tools faster than central IT and security teams can identify and assess them.

Mike McNeil, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Fleet, said many organisations are struggling to build a clear picture of the AI software running on staff laptops.

"Every company we talk to has the same problem. They have dozens of AI agents running on employees' laptops and no clear picture of what's there, who's using it or what data is moving through it," said Mike McNeil, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Fleet.

"In the process of trying to answer those questions, companies are creating tool sprawl. Shadow AI shouldn't require another point solution. You should govern your AI agents in the same place you govern your plugins, extensions, software and developer tools. That work starts on the device, and that's where Fleet already runs," McNeil said.

Endpoint focus

The launch reflects a broader debate in corporate technology over where AI oversight should sit. Many governance efforts have focused on model providers, application access and procurement. Endpoint software presents a different problem because employees can install or run tools locally, often with limited central visibility.

This can include coding assistants, desktop utilities, browser add-ons and tools that connect models to external systems. For IT departments, the challenge is not only identifying what is installed, but also determining what information workers are entering into those tools and whether the applications meet internal policy requirements.

Fleet said its open-source agent gives customers visibility into what data is collected and how. It presented that transparency as part of its approach to AI oversight on managed devices.

Viktor Filipsson, Senior IT System Engineer at Sonos, said device-level visibility is essential for AI risk management.

"Endpoints are where AI risk actually shows up," said Viktor Filipsson, Senior IT System Engineer, Sonos.

"You can't govern what you can't see. You need to know which AI tools and packages are running on your devices, what people are feeding them, and whether you can trust them. Device visibility plus risk intelligence is how you get there," Filipsson said.

Market context

Fleet operates in device management, patching, endpoint governance and vulnerability management. It says organisations in 90 countries use its software to manage millions of devices, spanning traditional workplace hardware as well as mobile devices, desktop Linux, cloud infrastructure and other connected systems.

The launch places Fleet in a growing market where endpoint management suppliers are adapting their products to address AI use in the workplace. As adoption broadens beyond developer teams into other business functions, companies are increasingly being pushed to account for which AI tools are in use, what they can access and how they are governed under existing compliance frameworks.

Fleet said the new governance features are intended to bring that work into the same administrative environment already used for software, vulnerabilities, plugins and developer tools.