AI DLP (AI Data Loss Prevention) is security software that inspects what employees type or upload into AI tools — like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot — and stops sensitive data from being sent, before it leaves the device.
Why traditional DLP doesn't cover this
Traditional data loss prevention tools were built to watch email attachments, USB drives, and file transfers. A prompt typed into a chat window doesn't look like any of those — it's just text going to a web request, often over HTTPS to a domain the DLP tool has no reason to inspect. That's the gap AI DLP fills.
What it actually detects
- Credentials — API keys, passwords, database connection strings, SSH keys
- Personal data — names, emails, phone numbers, SSNs, credit card numbers
- Confidential business information — via custom keyword rules (project codenames, internal domains, customer names)
- File uploads — sensitive content inside PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets attached to a chat
Where the inspection happens
Some AI DLP tools proxy traffic through a cloud service to inspect it — which means your prompts pass through a third party's infrastructure. Others, like SafePrompt, inspect the prompt locally on the device before it's sent anywhere. Ask any AI DLP vendor directly where the inspection happens; it's a meaningful architectural difference.
What happens when something is caught
Typically one of three actions: block (the prompt never reaches the AI tool), warn (the user is told and can proceed with a justification, which gets logged), or redact (the sensitive part is masked and the rest of the prompt goes through).
See how SafePrompt implements this on Features, or try it free for 14 days.