Private AI
Private AI vs public ChatGPT and Copilot
They can do similar things. The difference that matters is where your data goes, and who controls it. Here is a fair comparison, and when each one is the right tool.
The short version
Public tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini send your prompts and documents to a vendor’s cloud. Private AI runs inside your own environment, so your data stays yours. For general, non-sensitive work, public tools are excellent. For client records, regulated data, or anything you could not paste into a public chatbot, private AI is the safer call. Most businesses end up using both.
Side by side
Public AI vs private AI
No strawman. Public tools are powerful and improving fast. This is about fit, not which is "better."
Where your data is processed
Public AI (ChatGPT, Copilot)
In the vendor’s cloud (OpenAI, Microsoft, or Google).
Private AI (Shield)
Inside your own environment. It never leaves your control.
Used to train outside models
Public AI (ChatGPT, Copilot)
Business tiers generally do not, but you rely on the vendor’s policy.
Private AI (Shield)
Never. Your data is not training fuel for anyone.
Knows your business
Public AI (ChatGPT, Copilot)
General knowledge, plus whatever context you paste in each chat.
Private AI (Shield)
Grounded in your documents, policies, and history.
Access control and audit
Public AI (ChatGPT, Copilot)
Vendor-defined, with limited visibility for you.
Private AI (Shield)
Role-based access with a full audit trail you own.
Works across your tools
Public AI (ChatGPT, Copilot)
Strongest inside its own ecosystem.
Private AI (Shield)
Connects to the tools you already use.
Who manages and secures it
Public AI (ChatGPT, Copilot)
You, plus the vendor’s defaults.
Private AI (Shield)
Shield sets it up, guard-rails it, and monitors it.
Best for
Public AI (ChatGPT, Copilot)
General, non-sensitive, everyday tasks.
Private AI (Shield)
Sensitive data, client confidentiality, compliance, internal automation.
When public AI is the right tool
Honestly, for a lot of day-to-day work it is, and we will tell you when.
- Drafting general content and brainstorming
- Learning something new or summarizing public material
- Coding help and quick research
- Anything that is not confidential or client-specific
When private AI earns its place
The moment your data is sensitive or specific to your business.
- Client, patient, legal, or financial records
- Work that must meet PIPEDA or provincial health privacy rules
- Proprietary processes and institutional knowledge
- Automations wired into your internal systems
How Shield does private AI
Hermes and OpenClaw
Hermes is an always-on internal AI agent that answers questions and automates routine work. OpenClaw is a private AI workspace for your team. Both run in your environment and are fully managed by us.
FAQ
Common questions
Is ChatGPT safe for business data? +
It depends on the tier and the data. Consumer ChatGPT can use your conversations to improve its models, and even on business plans your prompts are processed in OpenAI’s cloud. For general, non-sensitive work it is fine. For client records, health, legal, or financial data, a private deployment that keeps everything in your own environment is the safer choice.
Does Microsoft Copilot keep our data private? +
Microsoft 365 Copilot keeps your data inside Microsoft’s cloud and states it does not use your business data to train its foundation models. That is a real boundary. It still means trusting a third party’s environment, and Copilot works mainly inside the Microsoft ecosystem. Private AI keeps everything in your own environment and works across all your tools.
What is private AI? +
Private AI is a capable AI assistant deployed inside your business rather than used as a public web service. Your documents and conversations stay in your environment, access is role-based and audited, and it is grounded in your own data. Shield runs ours as Hermes, an internal AI agent, and OpenClaw, a private AI workspace.
Do we have to choose one or the other? +
No, and most businesses should not. Use public tools like ChatGPT or Copilot for general tasks, and use private AI for anything sensitive or specific to your business. We help you draw that line and set both up safely.
What about staff who are already using ChatGPT on their own? +
In most businesses they already are, often with company data, and that is the real risk: unmanaged AI use nobody can see. Banning it rarely works. The fix is an AI usage policy plus a private alternative that is genuinely good, so people stop needing workarounds. We help with both.
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Book a free 20-minute call and we’ll map out your managed IT and AI roadmap. No pressure, no jargon.