⏱ 1 min 30 read
Background
A large part of cantonal administrative work involves protected data. Valais therefore chose to develop an in-house and sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) solution.
The key points
Since Thursday 5 November 2026, the State of Valais has made its own AI platform available to all its staff. Named AVA (Assistant valaisan augmenté), it is one of the first sovereign state-run AIs in Switzerland.
The tool helps with drafting, summarising, finding information and translation. It makes no decisions and is not meant to replace any jobs, according to State Councillor Franziska Biner. No data passes through foreign providers.
Launched in April, the pilot phase involved more than 2,000 users. The canton controls the entire technology chain and therefore does not pay “per token”, the billing unit of many commercial services. Guidelines, guides, webinars and practical seminars frame its use.
Key figures
- More than 2,000 : users during the pilot phase launched in April
- CHF 2 : monthly cost per daily active user
- CHF 20 : minimum monthly saving compared with a commercial solution
What it means for businesses
- Valais administration : all staff have an in-house tool for drafting, summarising and translation.
- Municipalities and public bodies : they are to be gradually included in the project.
Who says what
- Franziska Biner (Head of the Department of Finance and Energy): AVA “does not make decisions”.
- Florian Bersier (Head of the AI unit): a sovereign AI cannot remain at the level of a single canton.
- Claude-Alain Berclaz (Head of the cantonal IT service): “rules of the game” are needed, along with user training.
Further reading
Sources
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