Generative AI & GDPR

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) governs every processing operation involving personal data. Generative AI inside a local authority often handles citizens' data, so compliance is not optional. A sovereign AI makes it easier from the design stage onwards.

Informational content: this does not constitute legal advice.

The GDPR watch points for an AI system

Legal basis & purpose

Every processing operation must rest on a legal basis (a public interest task for a local authority) and on a specified purpose. The AI assistant must have a documented scope of use.

Impact assessment (DPIA)

An innovative technology processing sensitive data on a large scale triggers the DPIA obligation (art. 35). To be carried out before going live, together with the DPO.

Right to erasure inside a RAG

In a RAG system, a document is split into vectorised fragments. Deleting the file is not enough: you need a procedure that also purges the vectors and the histories. A technical point that we industrialise.

Minimisation & retention

Process only what is necessary, and define retention periods. Our GPU instances are stateless and wiped daily: structural minimisation.

Processors (art. 28)

A clear contractual chain between the data controller, the provider and the hosting companies. EU hosting means no transfer outside the Union to be framed.

Where your data lives inside a RAG

An indexed document is split and then vectorised into the database. Deleting the source file removes neither the vectors nor the histories: erasure (art. 17 GDPR) must purge the entire chain.

1 · INDEXING : once only Your documents PDF · Office · OCR Splitting into extracts Embeddings vectorisation Vector database your knowledge query extracts (context) 2 · FOR EVERY QUESTION Question Embedding question → vector Search top-K similar LLM Enriched prompt: question + extracts Sourced answer with citations
A technical point that we industrialise: an erasure procedure that purges the file, its vectors and the histories.

How a sovereign AI helps

  • Data hosted in the EU, under European law alone
  • Minimisation by design (ephemeral instances, daily wipe)
  • Documentation ready for the DPO and the DPIA
  • Data anonymisation when third-party APIs are used

Official sources

An AI project that is compliant from day one

We supply the compliance documentation and support your DPO. See also the EU AI Act.

Discuss your compliance