After a decade in Silicon Valley, Leo Benkel co-founded The Artificial Business to offer secure, tailored AI assistants, ensuring European businesses can innovate while complying with data regulations.
Why did you choose a European approach focused on open-source and GDPR/AI Act compliance? What advantages do you see in this?
We chose this path with The Artificial Business because we firmly believe European companies shouldn’t have to choose between innovation and data sovereignty. By leveraging open-source solutions, we ensure transparency in our technologies while maintaining complete control over infrastructure. For GDPR and AI Act compliance, we integrated these principles from the design stage rather than as an afterthought. Our target market is European businesses, so it’s only natural to offer a solution that aligns with local regulations and expectations.
What major trends do you anticipate in data management with AI over the next 3 to 5 years?
I prefer to be cautious with 3-5 year predictions, but we already see companies becoming increasingly aware of the risks of unchecked AI usage. Surveys reveal that 68% of employees currently use AI without their employer’s knowledge, raising serious concerns about data security—whether it’s personal data governed by GDPR or strategic company information.
“One of our key strengths is crystallizing a company’s methods and data into an AI assistant that becomes an economic asset.”
Leo Benkel, co-founder of The Artificial Business
Which sectors or partnerships are you targeting to accelerate the growth of The Artificial Business?
We focus on sectors where data confidentiality is critical—finance, healthcare, and business services in Luxembourg. Our on-premise solution is particularly suited to their security demands. Surprisingly, we’ve seen high interest from a wide range of businesses, from small firms to large corporations, both public and private. This signals a significant mindset shift among business leaders regarding AI and data security.
What challenges do you face when integrating your solutions into clients’ private infrastructures?
The main challenge lies in customization—every company has unique processes and security constraints. That’s why we developed a flexible architecture that integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure. Hardware selection for running our platform can also be a concern, but we guide our clients throughout their AI transformation journey.
Will the future of AI Assistants be standardized, or will it remain highly tailored to individual companies?
Personalization will remain essential. Every company has unique expertise, and our assistants are designed to capture and enhance this value. One of our key strengths is crystallizing a company’s methods and data into an AI assistant that becomes an economic asset. However, some agents can be standardized and reused, and we are actively building a library of these ready-made assistants.
