AI-powered security: Europe must be ambitious

Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the key tools for security institutions facing growing volumes of video data from CCTV systems, drones, transport networks and critical infrastructure. Orasio, a European company developing AI-powered video intelligence solutions, is working with the French Ministry of the Interior on System V, a platform designed to support law enforcement investigations. In this interview, Florian Fournier discusses the operational value of AI, privacy safeguards, European technological sovereignty and the relevance of such capabilities for Poland and NATO’s eastern flank. Interview with Florian Fournier, CEO of Orasio, conducted by Dr Aleksander Olech.

Orasio has recently secured an important contract with the French Ministry of the Interior. What exactly will Orasio provide, and why is this project important from the perspective of public security?

This partnership concerns the next phase of development and deployment of System V, the video investigation platform used by the French Ministry of the Interior. Developed under the supervision of the Agency for the Digital Transformation of Internal Security Forces (ANFSI), System V is designed to become the reference platform for video investigations across French law enforcement agencies.

The challenge facing investigators today is simple: the amount of video data available has grown exponentially. Following major public events, criminal investigations often require the analysis of thousands of hours of footage collected from CCTV systems, public cameras, private businesses and transportation networks. Reviewing this material manually is increasingly time-consuming and resource-intensive.

Our role is to help investigators work more efficiently by providing advanced AI-powered video analysis capabilities. These technologies make it possible to search large volumes of video, identify vehicles or objects of interest, reconstruct events across multiple cameras and accelerate investigations while maintaining strict standards of traceability, security and legal compliance.

What makes this project particularly important is that it addresses a very concrete operational need. Public authorities already have access to large amounts of video data, but much of it remains underutilised because it is impossible for investigators to review everything manually. The objective is not to collect more data, but to make existing data more useful. By helping investigators identify relevant information faster, these technologies can improve the speed and effectiveness of criminal investigations while ensuring that final decisions remain in the hands of trained professionals.

More broadly, Orasio proves that AI-powered video analytics is becoming a strategic capability for public safety. European law enforcement agencies need tools that allow them to investigate faster and more effectively while meeting the highest standards of data protection, transparency and technological sovereignty.

How does Orasio’s technology support investigative work based on video analysis from CCTV and industrial camera networks?

The fundamental challenge facing investigators today is no longer the lack of information, but the opposite: an overwhelming quantity of video data. Whether the footage comes from urban CCTV systems, transportation infrastructure, industrial sites or critical facilities, investigators often need to review hundreds or even thousands of hours of recordings to identify a person, vehicle, object or sequence of events.

Our technology is designed to dramatically accelerate that process.

Instead of manually reviewing video feeds one by one, investigators can use AI-powered search tools to analyse large video archives in a matter of minutes. For example, they can search for a vehicle matching a particular description, identify an individual carrying a specific object, trace movements across multiple cameras, or reconstruct a sequence of events from several video sources simultaneously.

One of the most promising developments in this field is the ability to interact with video data using natural language. Rather than relying solely on predefined filters, investigators can formulate requests in a way that is closer to how they naturally think about an investigation. This significantly reduces the time required to identify relevant footage and helps investigators focus on analysis rather than data processing.

Importantly, these technologies are not designed to replace investigators. Their purpose is to act as force multipliers. They help security professionals process information faster, identify relevant leads more efficiently and make better-informed decisions. Human expertise, judgment and accountability remain at the centre of the investigative process.

As video volumes continue to increase across Europe, we believe AI-assisted investigations will become an essential capability for law enforcement and security organisations.

AI-enabled video analysis is becoming increasingly important for security institutions. What are the main advantages of using such technologies compared to traditional investigative methods?

The primary advantage is scale.

Human operators are remarkably capable, but they have natural limits. Studies have shown that after only 20 minutes of continuous video monitoring, more than 90% of relevant events can be missed. At the same time, security organisations now have access to far more cameras and video data than ever before.

AI helps address this gap by acting as a permanent analytical assistant. It can continuously monitor video feeds, detect predefined situations, flag potentially relevant events and assist investigators in analysing large quantities of recorded footage.

A second advantage is speed.

In many security contexts, identifying a critical event a few minutes earlier can make a significant difference. Whether it involves an intrusion, a security incident, a public safety threat or suspicious activity around critical infrastructure, faster detection often translates into faster response.

The third advantage concerns investigations.

AI can dramatically reduce the time required to analyse video archives and identify relevant information. Instead of reviewing footage manually over several days, investigators can narrow their search to the most relevant sequences much more quickly.

Finally, these technologies allow organisations to make better use of infrastructure that already exists. Across Europe, millions of cameras are already deployed. The challenge is not necessarily to install more cameras, but to ensure that the information they collect can be used effectively and responsibly.

Ultimately, AI should be seen as an augmentation technology. Its purpose is to help humans process information more efficiently and focus their attention where it matters most, while leaving critical decisions to trained operators and investigators.

In public debate, AI in security often raises questions about privacy, civil liberties and oversight. How does Orasio address these concerns?

These concerns are legitimate and should be taken seriously. Technologies used in security and public safety must be subject to particularly high standards of accountability, transparency and oversight.

Our position is that technological performance and respect for fundamental rights are not contradictory objectives. In fact, we believe they must progress together.

From the beginning, Orasio has been built around a European approach to AI. Our technologies are developed in compliance with European regulatory frameworks, including the GDPR and the AI Act. We view these frameworks not as obstacles to innovation, but as conditions for trust. In sensitive domains such as security and defence, trust is essential.

Beyond regulatory compliance, we have established an ethics and strategic committee bringing together senior European experts with backgrounds in security, defence, policing, diplomacy and international cooperation. Their role is to help assess deployment contexts and ensure that our technologies remain aligned with European democratic values and legal principles.

More broadly, we believe Europe has an opportunity to develop a distinct model for security technologies: one that combines operational effectiveness with strong safeguards for civil liberties. We see that balance as a competitive advantage, not a limitation.

How can European companies compete with American and Chinese technology providers in the field of AI-enabled security and video analytics?

Europe should not try to copy the American or Chinese models. Its strength lies precisely in building an alternative approach.

For many years, key technologies in video surveillance and video analytics have been dominated by non-European players. As AI becomes increasingly important, Europe now has an opportunity to build its own technological champions in a field that is strategically important for security, defence and digital sovereignty.

The first advantage Europe possesses is talent. European engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs are among the best in the world in artificial intelligence and computer vision. The emergence of companies such as Mistral AI has demonstrated that Europe is capable of developing world-class AI technologies.

The second advantage is timing. Recent breakthroughs in AI have created an opportunity to rethink video intelligence from the ground up. New models are significantly more capable, more efficient and more flexible than previous generations. Younger companies can often move faster because they are not constrained by legacy architectures developed years ago.

The third advantage is trust. European organisations increasingly recognise that technologies used in sensitive environments should be aligned with European legal standards and strategic interests. In areas such as public safety, defence and critical infrastructure protection, sovereignty is becoming an increasingly important consideration.

Our conviction is that Europe does not need to choose between technological excellence and regulatory responsibility. It can lead in both. Companies that successfully combine innovation, operational effectiveness and trustworthiness will be well positioned to compete globally.

Does the contract with the French Ministry of the Interior show that European public institutions are becoming more open to sovereign technological solutions developed in Europe?

We believe it reflects a broader trend that we are observing across Europe.

Public institutions are increasingly aware that technologies used in sensitive areas such as security, defence and critical infrastructure are not simply commercial products. They are strategic capabilities. Questions of sovereignty, resilience, control over data and long-term technological independence are becoming more important.

For many years, European organisations often relied on technologies developed elsewhere because there were limited alternatives available. Today, the situation is changing. European companies are beginning to offer solutions that combine high levels of performance with compliance, transparency and sovereign deployment options.

The System V project is a good example of this evolution. French authorities are investing in a platform designed to become a long-term reference for video investigations while ensuring security, traceability and data protection. The decision to entrust part of its future development to a European company reflects growing confidence in Europe’s ability to develop advanced technologies in strategic sectors.

The decision to work with Orasio is not solely about sovereignty. Public institutions expect solutions that deliver tangible operational advantages and meaningful technological innovation. Recent advances in artificial intelligence are transforming what is possible in video investigations, from natural-language search across vast video archives to multi-camera event reconstruction and more advanced visual analysis capabilities. European institutions are increasingly looking for solutions that combine cutting-edge performance with sovereignty, security and regulatory compliance.

This European dimension is reflected in Orasio’s governance and advisory network, which includes senior figures from several countries, among them former Head of Poland’s National Security Bureau Jacek Siewiera. Bringing together expertise from across Europe is essential if we want to build technologies that truly respond to the operational realities of European security institutions.

This does not mean that international competition will disappear. But it does suggest that European institutions are becoming more attentive to the strategic implications of technology choices and more willing to support the emergence of sovereign European capabilities.

Poland is also facing growing challenges related to public security, hybrid threats, border security and the protection of critical infrastructure. Do you see potential areas where Orasio’s experience could be relevant for Poland?

Absolutely.

Poland occupies a unique position in Europe today. It is one of the continent’s leading security and defence actors and plays a critical role on NATO’s eastern flank. As a result, many of the challenges facing Polish institutions today (whether related to border security, critical infrastructure protection, hybrid threats or public safety) are among the most strategically important in Europe.

What strikes us when speaking with security professionals across Europe is that they increasingly face the same problem: they have access to more data than ever before, but not enough time to analyse it effectively. Cameras, drones and sensors generate enormous volumes of information, yet the ability to extract actionable insights remains limited.

This is precisely where AI-powered video intelligence can make a difference.

We are fortunate to benefit from the experience of Jacek Siewiera, who serves as one of Orasio’s Senior Advisors in Poland. As former Head of the National Security Bureau of the Republic of Poland and a former key adviser to the President on defence and national security matters, he brings a deep understanding of the operational realities faced by security institutions in Poland and across Central and Eastern Europe.

His perspective reinforces one of our core convictions: Europe needs security technologies that are developed with a clear understanding of European operational requirements and strategic interests.

Whether it is protecting critical infrastructure, supporting border surveillance, accelerating investigations or helping operators manage increasingly complex environments, AI-powered video intelligence can become a valuable tool for security organisations. Not as a replacement for human expertise, but as a way to help professionals focus on what matters most.

More broadly, we see Poland as one of the key countries shaping the future of European security. We believe there is tremendous potential for collaboration between Polish institutions, European technology companies and defence innovators to build capabilities that strengthen Europe’s collective resilience.

What is Orasio’s broader vision for the development of AI-enabled security technologies in Europe in the coming years?

Our vision is to contribute to the emergence of a European leader in video intelligence that is developed by Europeans, for Europeans.

We believe that video intelligence will become one of the foundational technologies of modern security and defence. The amount of visual information generated by cameras, drones, sensors and other platforms is growing at an extraordinary pace. The key challenge is no longer collecting data but understanding it quickly enough to support decision-making.

Artificial intelligence will play an increasingly important role in addressing that challenge. It will help operators detect events, understand situations, reconstruct incidents and extract actionable information from complex environments.

At the same time, we believe Europe should pursue a path that differs from approaches seen elsewhere in the world. The objective should not be permanent surveillance or unrestricted deployment of technology. The objective should be to build systems that improve security while remaining compatible with democratic principles, human oversight and the protection of individual rights.

This is why sovereignty is such an important component of our vision. Europe should have the ability to develop, deploy and control its own strategic technologies in areas as sensitive as security and defence.

Building a European leader in video intelligence also requires bringing together expertise from across the continent. This is why Orasio has surrounded itself with senior advisors from several European countries, including Poland, Germany and Denmark, who bring decades of experience in defence, security, diplomacy and public service.

Our ambition is not simply to develop technology in Europe, but to build it with Europe, by incorporating the perspectives and operational requirements of the institutions that will ultimately rely on these capabilities.

In five years, we hope Europe will have a stronger ecosystem of AI companies capable of competing globally while remaining fully aligned with European values. We believe video intelligence will be one of the sectors where that ambition can become reality.

What message would you like to send to Polish decision-makers, security institutions and technology partners who are looking for reliable European solutions in this field?

My message is simple: Europe should be ambitious.

For many years, Europeans have accepted the idea that the most advanced technologies would inevitably come from elsewhere. I believe that assumption is increasingly outdated, particularly in strategic sectors such as security, defence and artificial intelligence.

Europe has exceptional talent, world-class engineers, strong institutions, a growing ecosystem of innovative companies and an expanding base of investors ready to back them. What is needed now is the confidence to build and support our own capabilities.

The question is not whether AI will play a role in security and defence. It already does. The real question is whether Europe will remain dependent on technologies developed elsewhere or whether it will build trusted alternatives aligned with its own values, legal frameworks and strategic interests.

Poland has become one of the most influential security actors in Europe. Its experience, particularly in understanding the realities of deterrence, resilience and security on NATO’s eastern flank, gives it a uniquely important voice in this discussion.

Through leaders such as Jacek Siewiera, who advises Orasio on security and defence matters, we have the privilege of maintaining a close dialogue with Polish experts and institutions. These exchanges consistently reinforce the same conclusion: Europe’s security challenges increasingly require European technological answers.

At Orasio, our ambition is not simply to build a successful company. It is to contribute to the emergence of a sovereign European ecosystem for video intelligence and security technologies.

If Europe wants to retain control over critical capabilities in the decades ahead, now is the time to invest, innovate and work together. We believe Poland has a central role to play in that effort.