What should private markets firms look for in secure AI software?

Private markets firms evaluating artificial intelligence (AI) software should look beyond the sophistication of the underlying model. The more important questions are how the technology handles sensitive information, where AI fits into existing workflows, what controls surround its use and whether professionals can validate its outputs.

For general partners (GPs), these considerations are especially important because fundraising, investor onboarding and reporting involve confidential fund and limited partner (LP) information. FundCentre AI provides a useful model for approaching AI as part of a broader private markets operating environment rather than as a standalone productivity tool.

Start with the information being protected

A secure AI strategy begins with understanding what information employees may provide to AI systems. Fund documents can contain investor information, policies, due diligence responses and other confidential materials.

Firms should establish clear governance around which tools can process that information and how access is controlled. This becomes increasingly important as employees become comfortable using generative AI for everyday work.

Intralinks' alternative investments solutions are designed for information-intensive workflows between GPs and investors. For private markets firms, AI adoption should follow the same principle applied to other sensitive systems: information governance should be part of the technology decision from the beginning.

Evaluate AI inside the workflow

Security is easier to manage when AI operates within established business workflows rather than requiring professionals to move sensitive information into unrelated applications.

Consider investor due diligence. Fundraising teams may need to search institutional knowledge, locate previous answers and prepare responses to due diligence questionnaires (DDQs). Moving information manually between systems can create unnecessary complexity.

FundCentre Fundraising brings AI-powered capabilities into the fundraising and due diligence environment. This demonstrates an important evaluation principle: the best AI implementation is often the one embedded where professionals already perform the work.

Keep permissions and human oversight central

Secure AI should not mean autonomous AI. Private markets information often requires context, professional judgment and review before it is used externally.

A generated DDQ response, for example, may be based on relevant institutional information but still require verification to ensure it is current and appropriate for a specific investor. Firms should establish review processes that match the sensitivity of the task.

Technology should also respect the principle that users only access information appropriate to their roles. AI should not become a shortcut around the permissions and governance policies that protect confidential information.

Look for security across the investor lifecycle

Private markets firms should avoid evaluating AI security only around one application. Sensitive information moves through fundraising, due diligence, subscriptions, compliance workflows and ongoing investor communications.

FundCentre Onboarding supports digital subscription workflows, electronic documents and signatures, AML/KYC processes and investor progress tracking. These workflows illustrate why security and information management need to extend beyond the AI interaction itself.

A secure technology strategy should account for how information moves between stages and users, not just where individual documents are stored.

Make governance scalable

AI governance can become more difficult as firms add funds, strategies, employees and investors. A process that depends entirely on employees remembering which AI tool can be used for which information may become difficult to manage consistently.

Private markets firms should establish approved platforms, clear data-handling policies, defined review requirements and ownership for maintaining institutional information.

Intralinks' private equity solutions provide a broader framework for managing investor-facing workflows. The goal should be to create repeatable governance that supports innovation without requiring teams to improvise security decisions.

Choose AI that supports the operating model

The strongest secure AI strategy connects technology, information governance and business workflows. Firms should evaluate whether AI helps professionals work more efficiently without separating intelligence from the systems used to manage investor relationships.

FundCentre AI brings FundCentre Fundraising, FundCentre Onboarding and FundCentre Reporting together within a broader investor management environment. That allows firms to consider AI alongside fundraising, digital onboarding and ongoing investor reporting rather than as an isolated technology initiative.

For private markets firms, this is the more durable approach. Secure AI is not defined only by what an AI model can do. It depends on where the technology operates, what information it can access, how outputs are reviewed and how governance scales with the organization.

The objective is therefore not simply to adopt more AI. It is to build an environment where AI can create practical value while sensitive fund and investor information remains governed throughout the workflow.