Main Takeaways
SAFUGPT is Binance’s secure, smart, and fully customized generative AI platform, now rolled out internally across the company.
SAFUGPT is Binance’s custom-built large language model interface, tailored specifically for Binancians to use AI productively but safely.
In a world racing to adopt AI, Binance is setting the standard, proving that innovation done right is not just smart or fast, but always SAFU.
By the time you finish reading this, there’s a good chance that SAFUGPT has already helped several Binancians finish their tasks faster, smarter, and more securely.
From summarizing reports to synthesizing code snippets, Binance’s proprietary AI assistant is transforming how our teams collaborate, retrieve knowledge, and build the future, without ever compromising on what Binance holds sacred: security.
Welcome to the age of SAFUGPT: Binance’s secure, smart, and fully customized generative AI platform, now rolled out internally across the company. Whether Binancians are drafting a press release, debugging a smart contract, preparing a marketing campaign, or building a user database, SAFUGPT is the team’s go-to productivity partner.
And it’s SAFU – literally.
What is SAFUGPT?
SAFUGPT is Binance’s custom-built large language model interface, tailored specifically for internal users to interact with AI in a secure, productive, and Binance-contextualized way. At its core, it’s powered by a range of best-in-class models, including a self-hosted DeepSeek model for maximum privacy and Microsoft-hosted GPT-4 instances under enterprise-level agreements that block third-party data access and disable external monitoring.
There are several special features that make SAFUGPT stand out:
Switch between AI models (including open-source and enterprise-tier LLM variants) depending on the task at hand. This includes DeepSeek, ChatGPT variations, Claude, Gemini and more. The platform is continually updated to feature the newest and most powerful AI models as they become available.
Many popular AI platforms, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT or Anthropic's Claude, are connected to the internet by default, which can risk exposing sensitive data. In contrast, SAFUGPT gives users the control to enable internet connectivity only when needed, allowing access to real-time information via web search while keeping your data protected the rest of the time.
Binancians can build custom AI agents by uploading resources – like FAQs, training guides, team policies, or legal documents – to a knowledge base, so employees can quickly find answers or access the right policies and legal information when needed.
Users can switch between chats for different projects without losing context. SAFUGPT keeps track of everything, so Binancians can multitask with ease.
SAFUGPT supports collaboration and sharing conversations safely, allowing users to switch between Read&Write mode and Read-Only mode. In Read&Write, others can continue the conversation by creating their own thread while Read-Only restricts viewers from branching off new chats or accessing attachments and sources, thus protecting sensitive internal knowledge.
What is SAFU?
If you’ve been in crypto long enough, you’ve likely heard the phrase: “Funds are SAFU.”
That moment – an off-the-cuff tweet by then-CEO of Binance Changpeng Zhao (CZ) during a system maintenance window in 2018 – was immortalized when a parody video titled Funds Are SAFU went viral. The word eventually became a formal part of Binance’s vocabulary when the company launched the Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU), an emergency insurance reserve to protect user funds.
Today, “SAFU” isn’t just the most famous meme and piece of crypto slang originated by Binance – it’s one of the core principles of our philosophy.
That same philosophy now underpins the development of SAFUGPT: a system that protects our data and privacy. At Binance, where every line of code or legal document might contain sensitive data, the company couldn’t afford the risks associated with off-the-shelf AI tools, necessitating a solution with SAFU-level defense.
SecOps as Foundational Logic
SAFUGPT is created and maintained by Binance’s Security Operations (SecOps) unit – the very team tasked with defending the company from internal vulnerabilities and external threats.
Recalling the SAFUGPT origin story, a SecOps representative shares: “We set out to build SAFUGPT with a clear and vital goal: to demonstrate that AI can be safe and effective when implemented with the right safeguards.”
Jimmy Su, Binance’s Chief Security Officer, weighs in: “We recognized how powerful AI tools like ChatGPT could be, but also saw the inherent risks involved in using external, uncontrolled platforms for handling sensitive data.”
A cautionary example that guided Binance’s approach was the now-infamous Samsung case in May 2023, where employees in the semiconductor division of the company unintentionally leaked proprietary source code by pasting it into ChatGPT. The AI platform’s practice of retaining and training on user input raised serious data privacy concerns, underscoring the dangers of using public tools without safeguards.
At the time, ChatGPT was the undisputed frontrunner in large language models. To maintain internal control while still accessing the best technology available, Binance pursued an enterprise-level agreement with Microsoft – the only company besides OpenAI granted backend access to GPT models. This partnership allowed Binance to host its instance of ChatGPT on Microsoft’s secure infrastructure, rather than relying on OpenAI’s public servers. Crucially, this agreement ensures that AI conversation data is neither stored nor reviewed by human moderators, closing the door to potential data leaks or misuse.
Why Should Binancians Use SAFUGPT?
Many Binance teams face the challenge of processing sensitive information daily. For example, KYC specialists have to manually translate users’ documents originating from all over the world. Relying on external tools such as Google Translate or public ChatGPT instances can pose serious security risks of leaking sensitive data, while manual translation is laborious and prone to human error.
With SAFUGPT, these teams can save a lot of time on translation, leaving the human labour only with the task of final check. This new workflow significantly has improved the efficiency and safety of many teams’ processes.
Let’s break down exactly why SAFUGPT offers a better alternative to using general-purpose AI platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude.
Specialized Knowledge and Context
SAFUGPT is specifically designed and trained to provide insider-style assistance on Binance, including its founders, leadership, organizational structure, security measures, and all publicly available company information. It delivers responses aligned with Binance’s official stance, policies, and latest updates, ensuring accuracy and relevance. Customizable for various Binance use cases, such as security, leadership, and company news, SAFUGPT enables teams to build tailored internal knowledge bases while offering access to the newest AI models as they become available.
Data Privacy and Confidentiality
As mentioned above, SAFUGPT operates strictly within Binance’s security policies. That means no accidental leaks, no hidden prompts slipping out to a third-party LLM, and no cross-contamination between internal and public data. Unlike general-purpose ChatGPT, which processes inputs through OpenAI’s infrastructure and policies, SAFUGPT keeps everything in-house or behind enterprise-grade firewalls.
Regulatory Compliance
Binance operates under a complex web of international financial, information privacy and security, and other regulations, from GDPR to AML standards. SAFUGPT is trained and governed under those same frameworks, ensuring it never shares data in ways that would jeopardize compliance.
User Access and Monitoring
Access to SAFUGPT is role-based and audit-logged. It means usage can be tracked, unauthorized access is blocked, and data retention is strictly managed in line with Binance’s operational and legal requirements.
In summary, SAFUGPT operates in a tightly controlled, Binance-centric secure environment with specialized access management, encryption, monitoring, and regulatory-compliant data handling, thus greatly reducing the risk of sensitive data exposure.
Leadership Vision: Embracing the Age of AI for Web3
From the top down, Binance sees AI not as a buzzword, but as a backbone for the future of Web3.
As we look ahead, the integration of artificial intelligence can further complement the efficiencies of Binance’s remote-first work model. AI's ability to automate repetitive tasks and enhance creative and strategic roles will empower globally distributed teams to innovate and excel, driving the next wave of digital transformation.
The quality of AI-driven output often depends on the strength and clarity of human input. There will be an increasing demand for skilled thinkers who can train and leverage AI tools to deliver the best results.
Binance Co-Founder Yi He notes: “AI will magnify the skillsets of individuals. For those with creativity and strong critical thinking, opportunities will multiply. And creative individuals will naturally gravitate towards companies offering freedom and flexibility. These are the kind of talent we need for Binance in the long run.”
Her vision is clear: Binance is fully embracing the age of AI and leveraging AI tools to stay competitive and relevant in the broader fintech industry. Binancians have to stay adaptable and learn new AI skills to improve the quality and quantity of their output – and SAFUGPT is their reliable partner in this quest.
Building a Binance AI Culture, the SAFU Way
Here at Binance, we believe that every team member should be empowered to harness the potential of AI to enhance productivity and decision-making – in the most secure way possible.
To bring this vision to life, Binance continues to invest in dedicated AI talent, assembling a team capable of building and maintaining a robust, in-house system tailored to the company’s complex needs. Today, many departments within Binance have their own AI specialists, crafting customized solutions to streamline workflows across risk management, customer support, compliance, and more.
In the past couple of years, Binance has dramatically expanded its AI toolkit. We now deploy a range of advanced models – some optimized for logical reasoning, others capable of handling video content – and have also developed our own self-hosted DeepSeek model to handle highly sensitive internal data. This setup ensures full control over how data flows, where it resides, and who can access it.
Final Thoughts
The rollout of SAFUGPT signalled that Binance isn’t waiting for someone else to define the role of AI in the workplace. It’s building that future from within, just as it built its own blockchain infrastructure, its own custody solutions, and its own user security fund (SAFU).
It signals a broader cultural shift too: AI as a multiplier of impact, not a threat to jobs. A system that amplifies the creative edge of Binancians worldwide, while maintaining the values that brought the company to this point: collaboration, user-focus, humility, freedom, and hardcore innovation.
In a world racing to adopt AI, Binance is setting the standard, proving that innovation done right is not just smart or fast, but always SAFU.