Why AI’s real value is proficiency, not efficiency: Insights from Louis Têtu - February 11, 2026
Louis Têtu, Executive Chairman of Coveo, shared his perspective on how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping organizations. He drew a clear distinction between AI that simply improves efficiency and AI that enhances human proficiency, enabling individuals and institutions to manage greater complexity with confidence, precision and speed. He also explored the importance of grounding AI in secure, governed enterprise data, the growing divide between AI adopters and non‑adopters and the infrastructure and energy considerations shaping the next phase of AI adoption.
Here are some of the key points from his commentary.
Grounding AI in enterprise data for precision and governance
He drew a clear distinction between consumer AI tools and enterprise AI. While consumer applications can generate broad, generalized responses, enterprise AI must function within environments that require secure, governed and traceable data. He emphasized that AI does not inherently understand an organization’s information and must be grounded in firm‑specific systems to deliver reliable and trustworthy outcomes.
Effective enterprise AI connects distributed data sources without requiring data to be moved or exposed. By doing so, it produces outputs that are precise, auditable and governed. This approach enables organizations, including financial institutions, to deploy AI while maintaining control over data security, governance and compliance.
From efficiency to proficiency: Augmenting human expertise
A central theme of the webcast was the shift from efficiency to proficiency. Louis described how traditional software has historically focused on helping organizations do the same tasks faster and more consistently. AI, by contrast, enables individuals to manage significantly greater complexity on their own by synthesizing information in real time.
He noted that when employees are supported by AI, they can respond to complex questions more quickly and accurately, raising the overall capability of the organization. Rather than replacing people, AI augments human judgment and expertise, allowing teams to deliver higher‑quality outcomes while operating at greater scale.
The “stitch and tailor” capability of AI
Louis described AI’s breakthrough capability as its ability to “stitch” fragments of information from multiple sources and “tailor” the output to a user’s specific context. Unlike traditional systems that retrieve existing documents or static information, AI can generate responses that did not previously exist by assembling insights dynamically in real time.
This capability enables more personalized and context‑aware interactions for employees, advisors and customers. It also represents a fundamental shift in how knowledge is accessed, combined and applied within organizations.
Canada’s focus on sovereign AI infrastructure
The discussion also addressed Canada’s approach to AI at a national level. He emphasized that sovereignty in AI means ensuring that no external party can “turn off” a country’s critical digital capabilities. He described AI sovereignty as requiring national authority across five key areas:
- Communications networks: Control over the infrastructure that enables digital connectivity, including fibre, 5G, and satellite networks, rather than relying on external operators.
- Compute: Authority over where and how AI computation takes place, ensuring that processing power is governed domestically and not dependent on foreign control.
- Data residency and persistence: Ensuring that data resides within national borders and remains persistently governed, not merely stored locally.
- Data movement: Oversight of how data travels across borders, including preventing sensitive information from being processed or accessed outside national control, even when data is stored locally.
- Identity and trust frameworks: Control over identity systems and authentication processes that underpin secure access, trust and accountability in AI‑enabled environments.
He noted that governments and regulated industries, in particular, must ensure AI systems operate within controlled and secure frameworks. As AI becomes more deeply embedded across economies and critical services, the importance of governance, national control and secure infrastructure continues to grow.
AI adoption as a competitive imperative
Throughout the webcast, Louis underscored that AI adoption is no longer optional. He stated that organizations will not lose to AI itself, but rather to competitors that adopt AI more effectively. As a result, the divide between adopters and non‑adopters is becoming increasingly pronounced, with clear implications for productivity and competitiveness.
He described AI as an ambient capability rather than a standalone department, emphasizing that organizations cannot outsource AI transformation. To fully realize its benefits, expertise must be built internally and embedded across the enterprise.
Conclusion: Embracing AI to navigate increasing complexity
AI is transforming how organizations operate by enabling individuals to manage complexity, synthesize information and make better‑informed decisions. The real value of AI lies in human augmentation, not automation alone. Success will depend on grounding AI in secure enterprise data, adopting it broadly across organizations and addressing the infrastructure and energy demands that accompany its growth. In an environment where AI adoption increasingly defines competitiveness, organizations that move decisively will be better positioned to adapt and thrive.
