Why this matters
When someone pastes a contract, a customer list or a price sheet into a public AI tool, that text is sent to the provider's servers. Business plans often promise not to train on your data, but the data still leaves your company, and you rely on the provider's policies and security. For many businesses the bigger risk is simply not knowing what staff have shared.
Option 1: A usage policy
Write down what may and may not go into AI tools (for example: no client names, no financials, no unreleased products). It is free and quick, but it depends on everyone remembering, every time.
Option 2: Business plans of cloud AI
Business tiers of cloud AI tools add admin controls and contractual protections. Your data is still processed on the provider's servers, and pricing is per user, per month.
Option 3: Mask before you send
Replace names, email addresses, phone numbers and account numbers with placeholders before text reaches a cloud model, then put the real details back in the answer. Done by hand it is slow; done automatically it gives you most of the cloud model's ability without exposing who and what the text is about. This is what Space Rigs' Secure mode does on your own machine.
Option 4: Run the AI locally
A local AI model runs on hardware you own, so nothing is sent anywhere. Modern hardware such as NVIDIA DGX Spark, with 128 GB of unified memory, can run capable models in an office. The catch has been the work of turning a machine into a useful assistant. This is Space Rigs' Private mode.
Option 5: Combine them
The practical answer for most businesses is a mix: sensitive work handled locally, everything else allowed to use the strongest cloud model, and masking in between. A Space Rig does this per conversation:
- Private: every question is answered by the AI model on your Space Rig. Nothing leaves your premises.
- Secure: a leading cloud AI model helps with harder tasks, but names, email addresses, phone numbers and other identifying details are masked on your Space Rig first and restored only there.
- Wise: direct access to the cloud AI model for general questions where privacy isn't a concern.
Checklist
- Decide which data must never leave the company.
- Give staff an approved tool, or they will use an unapproved one.
- Keep your company knowledge base on hardware you own.
- Use masking when a cloud model is needed for sensitive text.
- Run fully private for the most sensitive work.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to put company data into ChatGPT?
It depends on the plan and the data. Whatever the plan, the text is processed on the provider's servers. For confidential information, use a local AI model or mask identifying details before anything is sent.
How can a business use AI privately?
Run an AI model on hardware you own for sensitive work, keep your knowledge base on that hardware, and use cloud AI only with identifying details masked or for non-sensitive questions. A Space Rig provides all three as Private, Secure and Wise modes.