The control gap: why we built Advania ALT

In my role as Head of AI at Advania, I encounter these questions almost every day. Many organisations struggle to move forward with their AI initiatives because they lack clear internal guidelines. Projects remain stuck at the pilot stage, while employees either avoid using the technology altogether or start using tools that are not covered by the organisation’s AI policy.

It is also easy to get caught up in the question of where data is stored. But to me, the bigger question is: how do we retain control over it? The most important thing is who can access the information. Organisations also need to establish which regulations they need to comply with and how to avoid becoming too dependent on a single provider.

It was these questions that gave rise to the idea for Advania ALT.

From idea to Advania ALT in ten weeks

In March, I was sitting in a room with Matías Rodrigues Paz, who leads our AI product development and technology here at Advania. We were talking about this very problem when the idea came up: why don’t we build a platform where customers can bring their AI use together while retaining control over how the AI services are used?

A few days later, we presented our idea to the management team, who immediately gave it the go-ahead, and work began. Ten weeks later, Advania ALT was launched in seven European markets.

I have never experienced anything moving this quickly from idea to launch. It simply shouldn’t be possible, but it was. One thing I took away from the process was not to get involved in the details of developing Advania ALT. My team could do that far better without my involvement. My job was simply to give them the best possible conditions to succeed – despite the tight timeframe.

An enabler for secure AI use

ALT stands for AI Layer Technology and acts as a common layer between the user and different AI models and AI services. For employees, this means a single point of access to the AI tools the organisation has chosen to provide, such as ChatGPT. For the organisation, it means full control over how AI is used, what information is shared, who has access to what, and ensuring that its use of AI can meet the highest possible level of sovereignty under the EU framework.

It may sound very complex, but it enables organisations of all kinds to use AI securely. That has not been possible before – until now. I am convinced that Advania ALT marks the beginning of a shift where organisations no longer have to choose between innovation and control.

Customers will shape the next step

What was it our former Prime Minister said? I’m proud, but not satisfied. Our vision is for all Advania customers to be using Advania ALT by 2030. To get there, we need to continue developing a platform that makes the use of AI secure, scalable, transparent, cost-effective and responsible.

We want to do that work together with our customers. We shouldn’t sit in our office in Liljeholmen and guess what they need. Their experiences, challenges and requirements should shape how the platform develops from here.

My hope is that we can remove the uncertainty that exists around AI in many organisations today. When organisations know what the boundaries are, they can also feel confident using the technology more widely.

Because AI will be a natural part of our future, not just a tool we use from time to time. For public sector organisations, scale-ups and established businesses to make full use of the technology, they need a secure foundation to build on.

That is the foundation we want to build with Advania ALT. Because the next step in the development of AI is not about having the courage to test the technology, but having the confidence to trust it.