ExpressVPN launches privacy-first AI platform ExpressAI

ExpressVPN has launched ExpressAI, a privacy-focused artificial intelligence platform that expands the company's reach beyond its core virtual private network service.

The service is aimed at users who want AI tools without having prompts, files or chat histories used for model training or exposed to service operators. It uses confidential computing enclaves, with conversations decrypted only inside a cryptographically isolated environment.

That differs from more common AI deployments, which process user data on standard servers. According to ExpressVPN, user messages remain inaccessible to the host system, infrastructure operators and the company itself.

The launch comes as AI tools are increasingly used for routine tasks such as drafting emails, summarising documents and answering questions, while also handling more sensitive information, including work files, financial topics and personal details.

ExpressAI includes five models at launch: GPT OSS 120B, DeepSeek R1 Distill 32B, Qwen2.5-VL 32B, Qwen3.5 35B-A3B and Nemotron 12B.

Users can run the same prompt across several models in a side-by-side view. The service also includes credit tracking, encrypted chat history, automatic deletion through a ghost mode setting and an encrypted vault protected by a user-set password.

Privacy Design

ExpressAI applies end-to-end encryption and a zero-knowledge design so that only users can decrypt their data. Conversations, prompts and uploaded files are not fed back into model training systems.

For stored chats, users create a primary password, and that password alone can decrypt past conversations. This keeps chat history unreadable to anyone else, including ExpressVPN.

In comments released with the launch, ExpressVPN Chief Operating Officer Shay Peretz said the product reflects the company's long-standing position of collecting as little user data as possible.

"With ExpressAI, ExpressVPN is effectively extending its long-held stance on traffic protection to AI interactions: The best way to protect user data is not to collect it in the first place," said Shay Peretz, Chief Operating Officer, ExpressVPN. "We're not just making privacy claims-we're proving it with cryptographic guarantees. With our enclave architecture, your messages exist in a secure, isolated environment that even we can't access. This is the future of reliable, private AI."

External Audit

ExpressVPN also pointed to an independent audit by cybersecurity firm Cure53. According to the company, the review covered penetration testing and source code analysis across frontend and backend systems, along with cryptography, key management and infrastructure.

ExpressVPN shared the following from the audit: "Cure53 concludes that the product meets its stated privacy objectives by providing modern AI capabilities within confidential computing enclaves, where user interactions are processed in cryptographically isolated contexts."

ExpressVPN said all security vulnerabilities identified in the audit had been addressed before the product went live.

The company is entering a crowded market for general AI assistants, where providers compete on model access, ease of use and business integrations. ExpressVPN is instead seeking to differentiate on privacy and technical measures designed to limit access to user data.

That positioning also reflects a broader shift in its product strategy. Known primarily for its VPN service, ExpressVPN has been expanding into a wider set of privacy tools, including password management, identity protection and messaging-related services.

Peretz said concern over how AI systems handle personal information has become harder for users to ignore as they rely on them for more sensitive exchanges.

"People are already turning to AI for high-stakes, personal conversations-from health questions to financial decisions. Whether you're accessing a bank account online or discussing private matters with a professional, you expect strong privacy protections. But those protections don't automatically carry over to everyday AI chats," said Peretz. "That gap has left many users uneasy about how their data is handled. ExpressAI was built to remove that fear and show that private, trustworthy AI can be part of the tools people use every day."