Award Force, the leading platform for awards management, announced the launch of its new AI tools, introducing a secure, privacy-first approach to artificial intelligence for awards programs worldwide. The new AI capabilities are designed to empower awards program managers to work smarter, faster and more fairly, without compromising on the privacy, security and control that Award Force clients have always relied on. "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."
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 that 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. Every AI interaction is handled securely, with no external data sharing, no third-party access and no compromise to confidentiality.
Participation is completely optional. Program managers must actively opt in to enable AI tools within their Award Force accounts. Unless activated, no data is shared with any AI systems, ensuring total isolation and peace of mind for organisations not yet ready to adopt the technology. "It's your data, and it's your choice," said de Nys. "We believe AI should be a tool you invite in, not something quietly running behind the scenes." Users can also choose the LLM models they trust, such as Claude Sonnet, GPT OSS, Qwen3 and more, depending on location.
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 analyse entries, summarise content, generate consistent feedback and assist judging processes directly within Award Force. Once activated, managers can summarise or analyse entries automatically or manually, generate fair, 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.
AI fields represent the first step in a broader, forward-looking initiative by Award Force to deliver a family of 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." Learn more about Award Force at https://www.awardforce.com.
