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Which Chatbot Should I Use?
If you need to work with confidential or sensitive data...
All Western University data stored, processed or transmitted on or through the University resources or where University business occurs can be classified as either confidential, sensitive or public, and must be protected accordingly using appropriate security measures consistent with the University's Data Handling Standard. (see cybersmart.uwo.ca for more information)
Both Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini are included in Western's institutional licenses, and both receive enterprise-level protections when you're signed in with your Western credentials.
- Copilot Chat and M365 Copilot are comparable to Outlook, OneDrive, and other enterprise Microsoft products when you're logged in with your Western credentials.
- Gemini Enterprise carries Google Workspace's data-protection terms when you're signed in with your Western account: your prompts and responses aren't used to train Google's models, conversations aren't reviewed by humans, and your content isn't shared outside your organization.
This means both tools are generally appropriate for confidential or sensitive information, though personally identifiable information (PII) such as student and staff numbers, addresses, academic records, health records etc. should still be avoided in either one. AI tools require thoughtful, case-by-case judgment and no blanket policy can declare any product completely safe.
To reiterate, these protections are only applied if you are logged in using your Western credentials, and you are accountable for verifying that you're logged in before entering sensitive data.
- In Copilot, verify by looking in the upper right-hand corner for the green shield icon.
- In Gemini, verify you're signed into your Western account rather than a personal Google or Gmail account, especially if you're signed into more than one Google account in your browser. The consumer version of Gemini carries none of these protections.
If your work does NOT involve any confidential or sensitive information, you should use the most capable generative AI model available.
See the AI tools page for more information.
Which one is the best?
There is no “best” model at the moment. Personal preference and use case play a significant role in what will suit you best.