Microsoft is continuing to build on its lead in the AI market, creating a GPT4-based AI model designed for use in the most sensitive environments.

AI models usually rely on internet access and vast amounts of data to operate. This is approach is not conducive to top-secret applications, as being connected to the internet poses a security risk. According to Bloomberg News, Microsoft has addressed this issue by creating an AI model specifically for the intelligence community.

The AI model is based on GPT4 and is air-gapped to protect it against accidental internet access. The AI model is designed to help analysts process the gargantuan quantity of data they must work through.

“This is the first time we’ve ever had an isolated version – when isolated means it’s not connected to the internet – and it’s on a special network that’s only accessible by the US government,” William Chappell, Microsoft CTO told Bloomberg News.

The CIA has made it clear that it is in a race against China to deploy and tap into the power of AI.

“There is a race to get generative AI onto intelligence data,” Sheetal Patel, assistant director of the CIA for the Transnational and Technology Mission Center, said at a security conference at Vanderbilt University, according to Bloomberg. “And I want it to be us.”

Microsoft acquired Impact Level 6 certification in late 2019, the Pentagon’s highest security certification for IT providers, putting it on par with Amazon and opening up new opportunities in the form of top-secret government contracts. Microsoft followed up with the release of Azure Government Top Secret in mid-2021.

The company is clearly trying to position itself as the go-to option for AI deployments that require a level of privacy and security that most models can’t provide.

Microsoft’s latest endeavor also highlights the broader need for on-device AI models or ones that do not rely on the internet. Apple has been reportedly investing heavily in on-device AI, snapping up multiple startups specializing in the tech.

With growing concern about the privacy and security of large AI models, companies like Apple and Microsoft may be able to carve out significant markets by providing AI models to customers who need what traditional options can’t provide.