Artefact

[#GenAI & #Agentic News n°16 by our Artefact experts]💡Full-duplex voice arrives, Apple sues OpenAI, and the death of superficial chatbots. 🎧 Listen to the #podcast: https://lnkd.in/eshKGGfY 👇 Here’s what you’ll learn in this news: 1️⃣ Top Highlights - An OpenAI reasoning model helped Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard researchers surface 18 new diagnoses among 376 previously unsolved pediatric rare-disease cases. - Google released Gemini 3.5 Live Translate, a speech-to-speech model delivering near real-time translation across more than 70 languages. 🚨 Breaking News > Nonprofit Current AI is racing to build the World Wide Web of AI, free for all. > Netflix paid $587M for Ben Affleck’s AI filmmaking startup. 2️⃣ Business News & Market Insights - Anthropic appointed former Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke to its Long-Term Benefit Trust. - OpenAI is hiring a dedicated product manager for families, caregivers, and older adults as #ChatGPT expands into households. - JPMorganChase plans to deploy #AIagents that can work autonomously for hours later this year. - Pew Research Center found that 49% of US adults now use AI #chatbots, up from 33% in 2024 and 23% in 2023. - And much more! 3️⃣ New Models & Innovations - Anthropic redeployed #Claude Fable 5 globally on July 1, 2026 after US export controls were lifted June 30. - #Gemini in Chrome can now "select from screen," letting users box any text or image on a tab and feed it straight to a Gemini prompt. - Meta launched Muse Spark 1.1, its first paid AI model, alongside a public preview of the Meta Model API. - Learn more in the news! 4️⃣ Policy Updates & Ethical Debates - Apple sued OpenAI on July 10, 2026 in the Northern District of California for trade secret theft and breach of contract. - Meta removed a controversial feature that let users modify photos from public Instagram accounts using AI, days after launching it. 5️⃣ Thoughts of the week by Victor Coimbra, Artefact Partner and Data Platform & IT Lead at Artefact LatAm 🗣️ "Most CTOs in 2026 are building #AIstrategy only at the visible surface, buying Copilot seats and chatbot licenses, while the real strategic work sits in the deeper, less visible layers of the stack. [...] The closing distinction: CTOs who stop at the visible layer end up managing tools; those who look below the waterline end up managing cognitive capacity; the choice being whether to be an operational or a strategic #CTO." Stay informed!📰 Sign up for our Artefact #GenAI newsletter brought to you by Anya Rahmoune! https://lnkd.in/dC66RfGi

Expanding our North America footprint with new Partners: Karl Canty joins Artefact USA 🇺🇸 and Manu S. joins Artefact Canada 🇨🇦 Karl joins the Artefact adventure with over twenty years of experience at the intersection of analytics, strategy, and #insurance operations. His deep domain expertise, spanning Life, P&C, and Group benefits, is matched by a strong track record in delivering large-scale digital #innovation and data-driven #transformation programs. 📈 Throughout his career, Karl has demonstrated a unique ability to scale complex businesses: 🔹At Capco, he served as Insurance Leader, significantly growing the portfolio and expanding the firm's market presence with key new partnerships. 🔹 At EXL, as Vice President of US Data, Analytics & AI Services, he oversaw a period of remarkable 10x growth, building a global team of over 650 practitioners. 🔹 Foundational experience: As a founding member of EY’s Life Transformation practice and a veteran of PwC, Karl has long been a trusted advisor to Fortune 100 #financialservices clients. Karl’s mission is to expand our US insurance capabilities across our core solutions and talent pool. His leadership and deep industry relationships will be instrumental as we help our clients navigate the evolving #data and #AI landscape. 🚀 Manu brings a rare and powerful combination of skills, being equally adept at navigating complex financial models and advanced #cloud architectures. His diverse career spans equity research, wealth management, enterprise data, AI/ML, and cloud consulting. 🎓 A CFA charterholder and MBA, he has spent a decade delivering enterprise transformation programs at Canada's largest organizations in #energy, #FSI, and #telecommunications. Known for cutting through ambiguity, he has twice built and launched multi-million-dollar books of business from scratch. 💼 He joins Artefact with a focused mandate: bring our proven, global #AItransformation playbook directly to the Canadian market. Moving AI beyond the pilot stage and into measurable, industrial business outcomes is what Artefact does best. Manu's unique blend of financial accountability and hands-on cloud implementation makes him the perfect person to lead that work in Canada. Please join us in welcoming Karl and Manu to the team. 🤝

[Blog article 📝 Own channels, real data: Why #CRM strategy must be a C-Suite decision and why it rarely is] In her latest piece, Seema Sheoran (Director at Artefact Germany) hits the nail on the head: We are trying to solve structural, C-suite problems with software patches. 👉 Read the article on our blog: https://lnkd.in/e8C7XyBk When you layer a shiny new #CustomerDataPlatform (CDP) on top of siloed #marketing strategies, you don’t get a unified customer view. You just get expensive, well-marketed data noise. Here is the reality check for the C-Suite: 🤖 The #agenticAI trap: Every platform is promising autonomous #AIagents. But an AI agent running on bad data isn't progress; it just sends the wrong message to more people, faster. 🇩🇪 German consumers are done: According to Artefact’s #data, 34% of consumers feel zero excitement about AI engagement, and 41% prioritize ethical data handling over personalization. If you get it wrong, they don’t forgive; they unsubscribe. ⚖️ The regulatory teeth: Under the EU #AIAct and Germany’s KI-MIG frameworks, sloppy profiling is no longer just an operational headache. It’s a massive compliance liability. The fix? Get the sequence right: 1️⃣ Strategy first: Define what a customer profile actually means before buying software. 2️⃣ #Datagovernance second: Lock down matching logic and consent architecture. 3️⃣ Architecture third: Choose the right tech stack based on actual fit, not demo features. 4️⃣ AI and #agents last: Only unleash automation on a bulletproof foundation. CRM is not an email tool, and #agentic AI is not just an upgrade; it is a multiplier. If your data is fragmented, AI will simply scale the chaos. 🎯 Stop asking "Which platform should we buy?" and start asking "Do we have the data maturity that these platforms assume?"

Artefact Announces OpenAI Advanced Partner Status! 🤝 We are proud to announce that we are now an official #OpenAIAdvancedPartner, helping enterprises deploy ChatGPT Work, Codex, and the OpenAI API to build high-impact AI solutions. 🚀 Artefact will help organizations move from #AI ambition to operational impact by identifying high-value opportunities, designing and implementing tailored solutions with #ChatGPTWork, #Codex, industry-leading OpenAI models, and the OpenAI API, and establishing the foundation, governance, engineering, and change-management practices needed to scale them responsibly. This announcement comes at an especially exciting time as #OpenAI recently released ChatGPT Work, Codex, the GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, and Luna model family. 🗣️ Edouard de Mézerac, Group CEO of Artefact, says: "We are pleased to become an OpenAI Advanced Partner. Our role is to help enterprises move from experimentation to responsible, enterprise-wide deployment. By combining strategy, engineering, governance, and change-management support, we help customers build AI programs aligned to their business priorities.” 🗣️ HananIA Mikael OUAZAN, Managing Partner & Global Lead AI Acceleration at Artefact, adds: “Organizations need practical support to turn promising AI use cases into production-ready capabilities. Artefact helps customer teams assess opportunities, design solutions, integrate them with existing systems, and build the operating practices needed to use AI effectively.” We are thrilled to embark on this journey, bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI capabilities and measurable commercial value.

[Blog article 📄] What if #wealthmanagement recommendations felt as intelligent and personalized as Netflix or Amazon while still meeting the complexity, governance, and trust requirements of financial services? In their latest piece, Michael McGauran, Partner at #ArtefactSEA, and Tiago Filomena, Ph.D., Financial Services Partner at #ArtefactLATAM, explore how wealth managers can close the personalization gap and meet ecommerce-style client expectations through the power of #HybridAI. 👉 Read the full article to discover how hybrid #AI can redefine your advisory services: https://lnkd.in/d9mPyMxx In this piece, Michael and Tiago break down how a hybrid approach, fusing #machinelearning, mathematical portfolio optimization, and the contextual reasoning of #LargeLanguageModels, creates a smart, compliant decision engine: 1️⃣ Moving beyond simplistic rule books by overlaying traditional machine learning with #portfoliooptimization and an #agenticAI orchestration layer to translate raw #data into hyper-personalized, well-timed recommendations. 2️⃣ Integrating unstructured context via #LLMs to ingest noisy data like market research, client emails, and RM meeting notes, allowing the system to adjust recommendation rankings based on real-world sentiment. 3️⃣ Embedding #compliance and #strategy directly into the engine so every automated action or recommendation natively respects strategic asset allocations, risk profiles, and regulatory constraints. 4️⃣ Preparing for the #agenticcommerce where traditional interfaces disappear, paving the way for AI-to-AI collaboration where #banks must build advisory platforms that can earn the trust of both personal #AIagents and the humans behind them. At Artefact, we believe that #trust in this new landscape will be built by intelligence rather than just salesmanship. Embracing this shift is the ultimate design brief for forward-thinking #financialinstitutions.

[Blog article 📝 Surviving the SaaSpocalypse: Evaluating AI disruption in software portfolios] Three years ago, #AI was touted as the ultimate accelerant for #SaaS. Fast forward to today, and AI #codingassistants like Anthropic’s #ClaudeCode have flipped the script. Instead of being AI's biggest winners, SaaS companies are suddenly facing an existential threat. 📉 If AI means anyone can code, does #software just become a cheap commodity? 👉 Read this article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ev24Y-xT In this recent piece, James Swaith (né Smith), Partner at Artefact UK, breaks down why the "AI kills #SaaS" panic is real, but massively overstated. The reality boils down to two distinct forces: 1️⃣ The defensive moats: A software business is more than its #code. Brand trust, multi-year enterprise contracts, and deeply entrenched procurement processes create massive defensive walls that AI-native startups will struggle to climb. Plus, incumbents are adopting AI aggressively to outpace challengers. 2️⃣The commercial shift: The real threat isn't displacement; it's financial. Commoditised software faces immediate price compression, and AI-driven headcount reductions will crush traditional seat-based pricing. The winners will be those who pivot to consumption- or outcome-based models. The takeaway for #PrivateEquity and #AssetManagers? 💡 AI isn't the executioner of software investing, but it completely rewires the playbook. Forward-thinking firms need to audit current #portfolios for AI risk, update their due diligence for new acquisitions, and actively guide portfolio companies on defensive AI integration. The future isn't the end of software, it's the evolution of how it's valued.

[New Partners Announcement] 🚀 We’re excited to welcome as Partners Shashank S. at #ArtefactMENA, and Edam Zhu at #ArtefactChina. 🎓 An MBA graduate with High Academic Distinction from London Business School, Shashank brings over 18 years of experience advising governments across the GCC on #digitaltransformation, #data, and #AI. He joins us to lead and expand our work with the public sector, helping institutions evolve from digital transformation to AI-native government. Throughout his career, Shashank has partnered with ministries, regulators, center-of-government entities, and #publicsector leaders across the region to help them with their AI roadmap, modernize digital government, strengthen #datafoundations, and accelerate #AIadoption across #publicinstitutions. 🌐 At Artefact, Shashank will work closely with our clients to turn AI ambition into measurable impact, helping #governments build the data foundations, operating models, governance, and capabilities needed to scale AI responsibly and effectively. Edam brings more than 20 years of consulting and transformation experience across the #consumergoods, #retail, #luxury, and #fashion industries. 💼 Throughout his career, he has advised leading global brands on large-scale business transformation, bringing together deep industry expertise with capabilities in data, AI, and digital transformation. Prior to Artefact, Edam held senior leadership positions at BearingPoint, IBM Consulting, and Accenture. He has led complex transformation programs spanning supply chain, planning, omnichannel, operating model redesign, and enterprise-wide data and AI initiatives for clients across Asia-Pacific. Over the years, he has built trusted relationships with leading global and local brands. 🇨🇳 Based in our Shanghai office, Edam will further strengthen Artefact’s Consumer, Retail & Luxury practice in China, helping clients accelerate AI-powered business transformation by connecting strategy, data, #technology, and execution. 🤝 Please join us in welcoming Shashank and Edam to the Artefact team. We’re thrilled to have them on board and look forward to the impact we’ll create together.

Big news! Artefact Germany’s AI Expansion: Berlin Office Relocates to Delta Campus 🇩🇪 We are thrilled to announce that our Berlin team has officially relocated to the #DeltaCampus in Neukölln! 🚀 Known as Berlin’s hub for startups and founders, this inspiring new space is designed to further accelerate our momentum and fuel our 2030 strategy: to become the leading provider of #data and #AI consulting services to German corporations. 🔗 Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/exc-vkgf Our roots in Berlin grew stronger with our strategic acquisition of ExplorateAI. Moving to the Delta Campus builds directly upon this integration, providing a powerhouse hub to serve our local and global clients. 🗣️ Felix Wendler, Director at Artefact and ex-Managing Director of Explorate AI, highlights the vision behind this next chapter: “This new Berlin office is more than just an expansion; it’s a commitment to providing German enterprises with the local proximity, localized expertise, and global delivery power they need to successfully scale their AI and automation initiatives.” To champion this regional momentum, we were also excited to welcome Carolin Puppel as a new Partner to #ArtefactGermany early 2026. Bringing 20+ years of international expertise spanning top-tier consulting, corporate strategy, and entrepreneurship, Carolin is positioned to help clients move beyond #AIpilots by aligning #datafoundations, operating models, and organizational strategy. 🗣️ As Carolin explains: “AI will only scale as far as organizations are ready to evolve. I’m excited to join Artefact at a moment where translating strategy into execution truly matters,” Championed by Partner Niels Thomsen, our expanded footprint in #Berlin, alongside our offices in #Munich, #Hamburg, and #Essen, strategically positions Artefact across all four cardinal points of Germany. 🗣️ Reflecting on our long-term vision for the region, Niels adds: “We envision a future where businesses across the country democratize access to data and AI, embedding intelligent systems into their daily operations to drive sustainable growth and agility. By focusing on practical, scalable business applications, we are helping enterprises in strategic sectors like #manufacturing, #logistics, and #consumergoods turn complex technologies into measurable commercial value. Ultimately, true progress happens when we remember that the most successful #transformations occur when #technology empowers people rather than overshadows them.” We are proud to stay closer to our clients and reinforce our position as a major force within the AI ecosystem. ✨

[Artefact Whitepaper 📖 Knowledge Graphs and Context Engineering - Turning off-the-shelf AI into truly informed enterprise intelligence] The next decade of #enterpriseAI won’t be won by the firms with the biggest #LLMs. It will be won by the firms with the best context. As #AIagents transition from passive assistants to autonomous decision-makers, organizations are hitting a critical bottleneck. An agent’s performance now depends less on its underlying model and much more on the context it can reason over. 📚 Download our report here: https://lnkd.in/eV3nN9Zm The problem? 🔎 Traditional #data architectures only capture the current state of operations. They completely miss the tacit reasoning, historical precedents, and human insights scattered across fragmented chats and silos. To bridge this gap and turn off-the-shelf AI into truly informed enterprise intelligence, organizations need a three-layered foundation: 1️⃣ #KnowledgeGraphs: To map what the business knows, connecting scattered data into navigable networks. 2️⃣ #Ontologies: To define what these connections mean, establishing shared semantic rules and strict guardrails. 3️⃣ #ContextGraphs: To capture how the organization actually decides, recording decision traces and causal chains over time. While software built for humans captures what is currently true, software built for AI #agents must capture how it became true. 🚀 Discover how to build this foundation in our latest eBook!