Award Force, the leading platform for awards management, announced the launch of new AI tools designed with a secure, privacy-first approach for awards programs worldwide. The capabilities aim to help program managers work more efficiently and fairly while maintaining the privacy, security and control that clients expect from the platform. Unlike many technology providers that rely on third-party processing, Award Force's AI tools operate entirely within the company's own secure virtual private cloud (VPC). This ensures all data remains private, fully compliant and never leaves the Award Force environment. Clients can choose from powerful, embedded language models that never send data outside of Award Force's environment, with every AI interaction handled securely without external data sharing or third-party access.
"We didn't set out to add just another AI feature," said Richard de Nys, Managing Director of Award Force. "We set out to build a responsible foundation for the future—one that supports awards managers in meaningful, practical ways, while protecting the integrity of their data at every step." Participation in the AI features is completely optional, with program managers required to actively opt in to enable the tools within their Award Force accounts. Unless activated, no data is shared with any AI systems, ensuring total isolation for organizations not yet ready to adopt the technology. "It's your data, and it's your choice," de Nys said. "We believe AI should be a tool you invite in, not something quietly running behind the scenes."
The first release in the AI tools suite is AI fields, a new field type that allows program managers to use natural language prompts to analyze entries, summarize content, generate consistent feedback and assist judging processes directly within Award Force. Once activated, managers can summarize or analyze entries automatically or manually, generate fair and consistent feedback for entrants, support judges with contextual insights, and control when and how AI responses are generated and shared. All AI interactions take place entirely within the Award Force environment, giving program managers full flexibility and control over visibility and use. Users can also choose the LLM models they trust, such as Claude Sonnet, GPT OSS, Qwen3 and more, depending on location.
AI fields represent the first step in a broader initiative by Award Force to deliver intelligent, secure AI features across its platform. Future releases will continue to expand AI capabilities with the same guiding principles of safety, fairness and practicality. "This is just the beginning," de Nys said. "We're building an AI foundation our clients can grow with, responsibly and securely." The announcement matters because it addresses growing concerns about data privacy in AI adoption, particularly in sensitive areas like awards judging where proprietary information and intellectual property must be protected. By keeping all AI processing within their own secure environment, Award Force eliminates the risk of data leakage to third-party AI providers, giving organizations confidence to leverage AI efficiencies without compromising security. This approach sets a new standard for responsible AI implementation in specialized software platforms, demonstrating that advanced functionality can coexist with stringent data protection measures.
