What is Microsoft Purview for AI?

Definition. Microsoft Purview for AI is the set of Purview capabilities that discover, protect and audit AI usage across Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio agents and third-party AI applications. It gives organisations visibility of AI interactions, control over the data those interactions can reach and evidence of how AI is being used.

Key points

• Discovery: AI Hub and Data Security Posture Management surface which AI tools are being used, including shadow AI.
• Protection: sensitivity labels, DLP for Copilot and endpoint DLP prevent regulated data from reaching AI prompts and outputs.
• Auditing: unified audit, Communication Compliance and eDiscovery capture Copilot and agent interactions as evidence.
• Insider risk: Purview Insider Risk Management can flag risky AI-related behaviour before a Copilot session.
• It is a toolset, not a governance model. Purview provides the controls. A governance framework decides how to use them.

The capabilities that matter for AI

The high-value modules cluster around discovery, data protection and evidence: AI Hub and DSPM for AI, Information Protection, Data Loss Prevention, Audit, Communication Compliance and Insider Risk Management.

How Purview supports Copilot governance

Purview provides the technical controls that make Copilot governance defensible. Sensitivity labels decide what Copilot can summarise. DLP decides what a user can paste into a prompt. Audit and eDiscovery decide what an investigator can see afterwards. Without Purview, Copilot governance is largely policy on paper.

Licensing and prerequisites

Most Purview for AI capabilities require Microsoft 365 E5 or the equivalent add-ons. AI Hub and DSPM for AI have their own licensing terms. Before implementation, confirm the licence position and the labelling maturity of the tenant.

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