Clarification on PAYG Requirement for DSPM for AI (DSPM) and Alternative Implementation Through Purview Controls

Hello Team,

We are currently evaluating Microsoft Purview DSPM for AI and would like clarification regarding the relationship between DSPM for AI and the Microsoft Purview Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) billing model.

Based on Microsoft documentation, we understand that Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences themselves are not charged under the PAYG billing model, and that PAYG is associated with specific Purview capabilities and consumption-based services. [learn.microsoft.com]

We would appreciate guidance on the following:

Is enabling and subscribing to Microsoft Purview PAYG a mandatory prerequisite to use DSPM for AI, or only for certain DSPM for AI capabilities?

If PAYG is not enabled, which DSPM for AI capabilities remain available and which capabilities become unavailable?

Are DSPM for AI recommendations primarily a visibility and assessment layer, or do they rely on PAYG-backed services for policy deployment and enforcement?

If DSPM for AI recommends controls such as:

• Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
  • Insider Risk Management (IRM)
    • Sensitivity Labels
      • Retention Policies
        • Communication Compliance
        can these controls be implemented manually within their respective Purview solutions without enabling the corresponding DSPM recommendation or PAYG-backed workflow? If we manually implement equivalent security controls (for example, creating DLP and Insider Risk policies directly in Purview), would this provide essentially the same protection and enforcement outcome as implementing the recommendations surfaced by DSPM for AI? Are there any DSPM for AI security recommendations that can only be achieved through PAYG-enabled capabilities and cannot be replicated through standard Purview policy configuration?

Our goal is to understand whether PAYG is required primarily for enhanced visibility and insights, or whether it is also required to achieve the underlying security and compliance controls recommended by DSPM for AI.

Thank you!
Nancy