{
  "title": "I Work in Security. I Still Built My AI Assistant Privacy-Last.",
  "subtitle": null,
  "description": "I understand privacy. I built my AI assistant without it anyway, then had to unwind the whole thing.",
  "lane": "writing",
  "slug": "engine-vs-data-architecture",
  "url": "https://ajvanbeest.com/writing/engine-vs-data-architecture/",
  "maturity": "growing",
  "date": "2026-09-20",
  "updated": null,
  "tags": [
    "ai-assistants",
    "privacy",
    "personal-infrastructure",
    "agents",
    "security"
  ],
  "wordCount": 456,
  "readingMinutes": 2,
  "markdown": "I work in security operations. I understand privacy concepts. I still built an AI assistant with my personal information scattered through it.\n\nI got captured by building The Thing. Agents can help build almost anything I can imagine, so I built *everything* I could imagine. I thought about privacy second.\n\nThe first boundary I drew was simple: Anyone who wanted to explore the systems I was building could do that. But I didn't want to leave personal information as part of the tour.\n\n## Finding my own data\n\nBefore I could enforce boundaries, I had to find my data. Where were the session logs? Where were the reports? Where did the task outputs land?\n\nI hate to call that an audit; audit sounds official and deadly. I was mapping where my information lived, and that map was the first important step.\n\n## It's language all the way down\n\nThere were times I struggled to succinctly express what I was trying to do. Working with LLMs is all about language. If I don't have the vocabulary to describe my project, it's almost impossible to build it.\n\nSo I held long brain-dump sessions with the robot. *This sort of data is okay to share. That sort of data is not. The shareable stuff can go here.* I just yapped at the bot and let it sort things out.\n\n## The unwinding\n\nOnce I finally thought about privacy, I realized I had screwed the pooch (but unlike Kash Patel).\n\nI had to rehome a bunch of data. Of course *that* meant that my robot had to rebuild the inventory. Every skill, every document had to point to the new system.\n\nAnd then there was me. Have I mentioned that I'm dumb?\n\nThe split required me to change old habits and build new ones. Yeah, that's *super easy.* I figured I'd just use the new system enough to burn it into my memory.\n\nSwearing ensued; mostly got there, eventually.\n\n3/10 - only recommended if necessary. So was it? Necessary, I mean.\n\n## What the swears bought me\n\nThe split means I can share the framework with whoever wants it. You, for example. But my data stays mine.\n\n## The One Question (to rule them all)\n\nIf you're building an AI assistant, take a minute to answer a question: Think you may ever share it?\n\nIf the answer is even \"maybe,\" do the work. Split the system between public and private.\n\nThe split can pay off even if you never share a thing. Your personal threat model may call for tight controls around your personal data. If it does, keep that data in one easy-to-protect place.\n\nYou still gotta add the controls, but at least now you know where they go.",
  "html": "<p>I work in security operations. I understand privacy concepts. I still built an AI assistant with my personal information scattered through it.</p>\n<p>I got captured by building The Thing. Agents can help build almost anything I can imagine, so I built <em>everything</em> I could imagine. I thought about privacy second.</p>\n<p>The first boundary I drew was simple: Anyone who wanted to explore the systems I was building could do that. But I didn’t want to leave personal information as part of the tour.</p>\n<h2 id=\"finding-my-own-data\">Finding my own data</h2>\n<p>Before I could enforce boundaries, I had to find my data. Where were the session logs? Where were the reports? Where did the task outputs land?</p>\n<p>I hate to call that an audit; audit sounds official and deadly. I was mapping where my information lived, and that map was the first important step.</p>\n<h2 id=\"its-language-all-the-way-down\">It’s language all the way down</h2>\n<p>There were times I struggled to succinctly express what I was trying to do. Working with LLMs is all about language. If I don’t have the vocabulary to describe my project, it’s almost impossible to build it.</p>\n<p>So I held long brain-dump sessions with the robot. <em>This sort of data is okay to share. That sort of data is not. The shareable stuff can go here.</em> I just yapped at the bot and let it sort things out.</p>\n<h2 id=\"the-unwinding\">The unwinding</h2>\n<p>Once I finally thought about privacy, I realized I had screwed the pooch (but unlike Kash Patel).</p>\n<p>I had to rehome a bunch of data. Of course <em>that</em> meant that my robot had to rebuild the inventory. Every skill, every document had to point to the new system.</p>\n<p>And then there was me. Have I mentioned that I’m dumb?</p>\n<p>The split required me to change old habits and build new ones. Yeah, that’s <em>super easy.</em> I figured I’d just use the new system enough to burn it into my memory.</p>\n<p>Swearing ensued; mostly got there, eventually.</p>\n<p>3/10 - only recommended if necessary. So was it? Necessary, I mean.</p>\n<h2 id=\"what-the-swears-bought-me\">What the swears bought me</h2>\n<p>The split means I can share the framework with whoever wants it. You, for example. But my data stays mine.</p>\n<h2 id=\"the-one-question-to-rule-them-all\">The One Question (to rule them all)</h2>\n<p>If you’re building an AI assistant, take a minute to answer a question: Think you may ever share it?</p>\n<p>If the answer is even “maybe,” do the work. Split the system between public and private.</p>\n<p>The split can pay off even if you never share a thing. Your personal threat model may call for tight controls around your personal data. If it does, keep that data in one easy-to-protect place.</p>\n<p>You still gotta add the controls, but at least now you know where they go.</p>",
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