Sovereign AI & Data Privacy - with Chloé Maurel

Why It Matters

Sovereign AI empowers businesses to protect sensitive data, control AI costs, and avoid vendor lock‑in, making privacy‑first solutions a strategic imperative for competitive advantage.

Key Takeaways

• Mates enables on‑premise AI agents for privacy‑focused firms.
• Sovereign AI means controlling data location and provider dependency.
• Companies risk hidden data training in cheap cloud AI services.
• Shadow AI emerges when employees lack approved internal AI tools.
• Balancing cost, security, and privacy drives AI adoption strategies.

Summary

In a Startup Grind interview, Chloé Maurel, CEO and co‑founder of Mates, explains the company’s mission to deliver on‑premise AI agents that keep corporate data private. Mates combines a proprietary automation engine with open‑source large language models, allowing midsize and large enterprises to run AI locally on employee devices or private servers, sidestepping public cloud dependencies. Maurel defines "sovereign AI" as the ability to control where data resides, who can access it, and which geopolitical or regulatory regimes apply. She highlights the hidden cost of cloud AI—transaction fees and AI‑credit charges—and warns that many providers retain rights to train on customer data, even under enterprise‑grade contracts. The discussion also covers the distinction between security (robust infrastructure) and privacy (data ownership), noting that budget constraints often dictate a company’s ability to implement true privacy solutions. Concrete examples illustrate the stakes: a Hong Kong bank recently realized the expense of hosting private LLM instances on AWS and is diversifying providers to avoid lock‑in. Maurel recounts discovering a cloud vendor’s fine print that allowed training on client data during beta features, underscoring the risk of “free” services. She also describes "shadow AI," where employees bypass corporate tools for public AI platforms, potentially leaking confidential information. The conversation concludes that enterprises must balance cost, security, and privacy while establishing governance to monitor shadow AI usage. On‑premise solutions like Mates promise fast implementation, affordability, and state‑of‑the‑art capabilities, positioning them as viable alternatives as companies seek to retain data sovereignty and mitigate hidden expenses.

Original Description

Sovereign AI & Data Privacy

— Using AI Without Giving Away Your Data

As organizations deploy AI agents and automation tools, many unknowingly give away their most valuable asset: their data. Cloud-based AI can feel fast and convenient - but it often comes with hidden trade-offs around privacy, long-term cost, compliance, and ownership. Sovereign AI offers a different path — giving companies the ability to adopt AI while keeping control of data, infrastructure, and risk.

Watch the recording of the event with Chloé Maurel, Founder of Maites, at Startup Grind Hong Kong.

In this session, Chloé breaks down what Sovereign AI really means, why it's becoming critical for companies of all sizes, and how AI (including AI agents) can be deployed securely, affordably, and fast - even if you don't have a large IT team.

💡 What You'll Learn

✅ What Sovereign AI is - and why it matters now

✅ Why data privacy matters even when regulation doesn't force it

✅ How Sovereign AI can support sustainable company growth

✅ What is "Shadow AI" and how do you keep your organisation safe

📅 Recorded: Thursday, 5 March 2026

🎤 Speaker: Chloé Maurel, Maites

🎤 Moderator: Jens Wernborg, Startup Grind Hong Kong

Meet the Speaker

Chloé is the founder of Maites, a Hong Kong-based startup that helps organizations implement on-premise AI Agents. An advocate for "Sovereign AI," Chloé leverages her background in the R&D-intensive manufacturing industry and as an AI Engineer to offer deep expertise in local AI, data privacy, and on-premise systems. Chloé is on a mission to empower leaders with the data sovereignty, security, and affordability they need to thrive in the age of AI and beyond.

For more information and connect with Chloé, please visit:

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloemaurel/

- https://www.maites.team/

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