How to securely bring your own AI to work

What BYOAI means

BYOAI is simple: it’s using the personal AI subscription you already love (like your own Copilot plan) during your workday.¹

Why do people do it?

• They want tools that help them move faster.
• Their employer doesn’t provide AI tools yet or they don’t want to wait for enterprise rollouts.
• They have an AI tool of choice they’d prefer to use over what work provides
• But the risks are real. Traditional BYOAI can lead to things like data leakage, bypassing file permissions, or storing corporate content in unsanctioned clouds. Even well-intentioned prompts can create serious exposure.

Why Microsoft’s BYOAI approach is more secure

Microsoft has taken a different approach, one that protects both you and your company.

When you use Copilot with your personal Microsoft 365 subscription inside your work apps,¹ all your AI interactions stay inside the Microsoft 365 cloud, protected by enterprise-grade encryption, compliance, and privacy safeguards.

A few things that make this unique:

• Copilot respects your organization’s permissions. It only accesses content your work identity can already see.
• Your data stays secure protected against harmful content, prompt injection risks, and untrusted endpoints.
• Microsoft doesn’t train foundation models on your data.
• Customer Copyright Commitment applies, giving extra reassurance.
• IT retains full visibility and control, so there’s no shadow AI.

You get powerful AI. Your employer gets confidence and compliance. No workarounds. No sketchy copy-and-paste moments.

Achieve the extraordinary with

Copilot in Microsoft 365

Seamlessly tackle your to-dos and track budgets, projects, and calendars with AI-powered features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.

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How secure BYOAI works inside Microsoft 365

Here’s the nontechnical version:

• Your organization uses Microsoft 365 desktop apps and enables multi-account access.
• You sign in to apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook with your work account.
• Then you add your personal Microsoft 365 subscription.²
• Once you do, your personal Copilot features appear directly inside those apps—the AI shows up in the document, spreadsheet, or email you’re working in.
• All enterprise protections, permissions, policies, and audit logs still apply.
• And if your employer needs to, they can turn off personal Copilot access at any time.

One thing to remember: This applies to the Copilot features inside the Microsoft 365 apps,^1,2 not standalone Copilot Chat.

Why Copilot security matters for ambitious employees

If you care about finding smarter, faster ways to get things done, secure BYOAI is made for you.

You can:

• Start using AI now, no waiting for a companywide rollout.
• Bring your personal Copilot subscription to work without creating risk.
• Analyze data, draft presentations, write content, or manage email all within your organization’s secure environment.

It’s the best of both worlds: your personal AI power, enterprise-grade safety.

How Copilot compares to other “bring your own AI” tools

Many AI tools process your data outside your company’s protected perimeter. That means no enterprise identity integration, no compliance, no oversight, and plenty of unknowns.

Copilot is different. It works within your existing permissions, policies, and compliance boundaries, giving you a safe way to use BYOAI at work.

Secure AI at work, the smart way

AI is already part of your day. Now you can use it confidently, without compromising your organization’s security.

Copilot and Microsoft 365 give you the speed and creativity of personal AI, wrapped in enterprise-grade protection.^1,2 Ready to bring AI to work the right way? Get Microsoft 365 and start using Copilot securely today.

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