On-premise vs cloud legal AI
On-premise AI and cloud legal AI solve the same problem in opposite places. Cloud legal-AI tools send your documents to a provider's servers for analysis. On-premise AI like Modus V keeps the model and the data on a single device inside your building, so analysis happens with nothing leaving your walls. In criminal and government work, grand-jury secrecy, victim privacy, and chain of custody govern every file. Where the data lives is the whole decision.
| Dimension | On-premise sovereign AI (Modus V) | Cloud legal AI |
|---|---|---|
| Where data lives | On a single appliance inside your office | In the provider's cloud, on shared infrastructure |
| Data sovereignty | You hold the data and the model outright | Governed by the provider's policies, region, and subprocessors |
| Internet dependency | None required. Runs fully air-gapped | Requires a live connection to the provider |
| Chain of custody | Tamper-evident on-device audit ledger for every action | Depends on the provider's logging and retention |
| Use of your data for training | Never. Nothing leaves the device | Subject to provider terms and opt-outs |
| Control & ownership | You own the appliance and software license | Subscription access to a shared, evolving service |
| Fit for grand-jury & CJIS work | Designed for air-gapped, CJIS-aligned handling | Varies; cloud handling can complicate secrecy and holding duties |
What is air-gapped case analysis?
Air-gapped case analysis means the AI that reads your evidence has no connection to the internet or any outside network. The appliance is physically and logically isolated, so case files cannot be uploaded, intercepted in transit, or retained by a third party. Modus V runs this way by default.
Which fits criminal and government work?
When evidence is subject to grand-jury secrecy, protective orders, or CJIS handling rules, sending it to a shared cloud service can conflict with those duties. On-premise sovereign AI keeps the data under your control and produces a defensible, tamper-evident record of how it was analyzed. That's why Modus V is built for law firms, prosecutors, and government investigators rather than as a general cloud tool.