On one side is the self-serve use of consumer tools like ChatGPT—brilliant and immediate yet lacking governance; on the other are solutions like Microsoft Copilot, integrated into the corporate ecosystem and protected by identity and security policies.
For many companies, the real risk is believing they can postpone the decision. In reality, not choosing is already a choice: people will use AI tools anyway, giving rise to Shadow AI—ungoverned adoption that exposes data and processes to hard-to-predict risks and deprives the organisation of visibility and control.
In this context, Copilot takes on a different significance: not only because it “lives” inside Word, Excel, or Outlook, but because it brings AI into a familiar and secure infrastructure where innovation is accompanied by rules, governance, and the protection of corporate data.
The hidden cost of shortcuts
The core issue isn’t the technology itself, but how much control the company is willing to relinquish. Consumer tools like ChatGPT escape IT oversight: conversations and uploaded data end up in external environments with no visibility and no guarantees. Multiple studies have already shown that nearly half of users have shared confidential corporate information with public AI platforms. It is therefore highly likely the same is happening in your company.
And the risks don’t end there. What happens if ChatGPT is used from a personal device compromised by malware? Or if an account is breached? Or if the platform itself suffers a data leak? These aren’t theoretical scenarios: real incidents—such as users’ private conversations appearing on Google—have already shown how tangible this risk is.
From data to context: the new frontier of risk
The real danger lies less in the single uploaded file and more in the surrounding context: processes, strategies, decision-making logic. This is an asset that, if intercepted by malicious actors, can be turned into targeted, devastating attacks. AI is already powering a step change in cyberattacks: hyper-personalised spear-phishing, convincing deepfakes, billion-scale fraud. A single piece of information entered casually into a public chat can become the fuse for large-scale damage.
Copilot: from individual use to enterprise governance
This is why choosing Copilot doesn’t just mean selecting a different product, but a different value model. Copilot brings AI inside the corporate perimeter, under the same policies that govern Microsoft 365: corporate identities, governed access, audit logs and traceability. It means harnessing the power of AI without surrendering control, with the assurance that data remains the company’s responsibility.
Above all, it means turning AI adoption into a guided, sustainable journey. Not a standalone service confined outside the company, but an investment that integrates with processes, adapts to specific needs, and evolves alongside strategic priorities. It’s a paradigm shift: from individual, uncontrolled AI use to enterprise governance of innovation.
The role of business leaders
The future won’t be written by those who adopt artificial intelligence the fastest, but by those who govern it with clarity. For C-level leaders, this isn’t a technical choice but a strategic decision: protect data, preserve trust, and ensure AI becomes an accelerator of growth, not a multiplier of risk.
