How to choose an AI agency in Monaco: 10 questions to ask before signing
How do you choose an AI agency in Monaco?
Choose the agency that will prove its work on your own data before you sign anything, that lets you own the code, that tells you where your data is hosted and that explains clearly how it sets its prices. In Monaco, PRAGMA delivers a free audit and a free working prototype on your files in 72 hours, with no commitment, then quotes only for what you have seen working.
An AI agency will handle your email, your client files and sometimes your accounts. That choice deserves more than a well-rehearsed demo. Here are ten questions to put to any agency, in Monaco or elsewhere, each with the reason it matters and what a good answer contains. At the end of the article, PRAGMA answers its own questions.
1. Can you show me a prototype built on my own data?
Why it matters: a demo on sample data always looks clean. Your files have duplicates, old formats and special cases. Only a test on them shows whether the tool holds up.
A good answer: a working prototype, on a real extract of your data, delivered within a short time and before any financial commitment.
2. Who will own the code and the data?
Why it matters: if the agency keeps the code, you depend on it for every change and cannot switch provider without starting again from scratch.
A good answer: the code written for you belongs to you, your data stays yours and can be exported at any time in a readable format.
3. Where will my data be hosted, and is it used to train a model?
Why it matters: a firm, a family office or a real estate agency in Monaco handles personal data covered by the GDPR and by Monaco law no. 1.565. You need to be able to tell your clients where it sits.
A good answer: a precise hosting location, the name of whoever runs the servers, and a written commitment that your data is not used to train an external model. Our article on AI and personal data in Monaco covers these points in detail.
4. Who on my team will have access to what?
Why it matters: an AI agent connected to the whole company mailbox can show an intern a file meant for management only.
A good answer: rights set person by person, which you can change, and an agent that only reaches the tools you open to it.
5. What does the agent do without human approval, and how are its actions logged?
Why it matters: an email sent to a client by mistake or a wrongly copied amount cannot always be undone. The difference between an AI agent and a chatbot is precisely that the agent takes actions.
A good answer: nothing goes out until a person approves it, and every action the agent takes is recorded in a log you can consult.
6. Which tools will the agent connect to?
Why it matters: an isolated agent becomes one more screen to watch. Its value comes from what it reads and prepares inside the tools you already use.
A good answer: a concrete list, for instance email, shared files, the CRM, accounting and WhatsApp, stating for each one what the agent reads and what it writes.
7. Which task do we start with, and how do we measure the result?
Why it matters: a project that tries to automate everything at once runs long and is hard to measure.
A good answer: one precise first task, the one that costs the team the most hours each week, with a number of hours before and after. Then the next one.
8. What happens after the prototype?
Why it matters: many AI projects stall between the demo and daily use, for lack of a schedule and of someone in charge.
A good answer: a quote for what you saw working, a stated development period, a named person who follows the project, and a clear way to request changes once the tool is in service.
9. How do you set your prices, and what makes them vary?
Why it matters: without clear criteria you cannot compare, and the budget reveals itself as the project goes along. The running cost of AI models, billed by the volume of text processed, should also be explained.
A good answer: clear criteria (tools to connect, volume, business rules, hosting), the share of recurring costs, and a written quote delivered after a free trial, for a scope you have seen. Our article on what an AI agent costs in Monaco goes into the detail.
10. Who will do the work, and which comparable projects can you show?
Why it matters: AI in a business calls for both research and solid infrastructure. An agency that subcontracts everything cannot answer precisely.
A good answer: the names and backgrounds of the people who build, and real, named clients, with what was delivered for each of them.
PRAGMA’s answers to these ten questions
We hold ourselves to the same checklist. Here are our answers, in order.
- Prototype: a free audit and a free working prototype in 72 hours, on your own data, with no commitment.
- Ownership: the code belongs to you, and a dedicated developer keeps improving it after delivery.
- Hosting: today on European servers that we administer ourselves. Hosting in Monaco is in preparation. Your data is never used to train an external model. Processing complies with the GDPR and Monaco law no. 1.565.
- Access: rights set per person, and the agent only reaches the tools you open to it.
- Control: a person approves before anything is sent, and every action is recorded in a log.
- Tools: email, files, CRM, accounting and WhatsApp, depending on what you choose to connect.
- Method: we start with the task that costs the most hours per week, then move to the next one.
- After the prototype: a quote for what you saw working, a 30-day development phase, and a dedicated developer who follows the project.
- Prices: PRAGMA does not publish a price list. The audit and the 72-hour prototype are free and without commitment. The quote comes afterwards, for what you saw working, and depends on the scope: tools to connect, volume, business rules, hosting.
- Team: Romain Girardi, AI researcher, PhD candidate at Université Côte d’Azur and Geneva, creator of EleutherIA, a system of AI agents, and Benjamin Mathias, tech lead, 8 years of infrastructure and DevOps, formerly at the European Space Agency.
As for references, PRAGMA built a custom AI CRM used every day in the Montblanc boutiques of Monaco and France, AI tools across the services of Miells, and business software with AI agents for MediClar’s insurance brokerage. Other projects are shown on the work page. Our approach is described in detail on the AI agents in Monaco page.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose an AI agency based in Monaco?
It is not required, but a local team can come to you for the audit, knows the constraints of law no. 1.565 and knows who you deal with. PRAGMA is based in Monaco, RCI 26P10994, and also works on the Côte d’Azur and across France.
How long before I see a first result?
At PRAGMA, the prototype on your data arrives within 72 hours. The development phase that follows takes 30 days.
Does a free prototype commit me to signing?
No. The prototype is there so you can decide on evidence. If the result does not convince you, you stop at no cost.
What data do I need to provide for the prototype?
A representative extract for the chosen task: a few emails, a CRM export, typical files. We agree together on what is needed and nothing more.
Can I change provider once the tool is live?
Yes, if you own the code and your data can be exported. That is exactly why ownership should be settled before you sign.
Can a small business work with an AI agency?
Yes. The quote follows the size of the scope, the audit and prototype stay free, and the first project covers a single task. Our AI transition page describes the process.
Put these ten questions to us. Describe the task that takes your team the most time in the contact form, or call +33 6 15 82 17 03. We will come back to you with the free audit and prototype.