The full content is below, freely accessible. The PDF adds the layout, the printable comparison checklist, and a format you can pass along to your partners.
Question 01
Where exactly does inference run?
Why it matters
This is the founding question. Everything else follows from it: applicable jurisdiction, legal exposure, and your ability to document your compliance.
A good answer
A precise, verifiable location — “on the server installed on your premises,” or “in this data centre, at this address, operated by this company.” The vendor should be able to show you where.
Warning sign
“In the cloud,” “on secure servers,” “at our infrastructure partner” with no further detail. Vagueness isn't commercial discretion, it's the absence of an answer.
Question 02
Is our data used to train a model?
Why it matters
If your documents are absorbed into a model, you lose all control over where they end up and you can no longer withdraw them.
A good answer
A clear no, together with an explanation of the architecture used instead — typically RAG. The vendor should also address the third-party providers it relies on.
Warning sign
“Your data is anonymized before training,” or an answer covering only the vendor without addressing the third-party models it calls.
Question 03
Does every answer cite its source?
Why it matters
Without citations you can neither verify nor defend an answer. In front of a client, a professional order or a court, “the tool told me” is not a defensible position.
A good answer
Yes, with the file, the section and the version. Ask for a live demonstration rather than an assurance.
Warning sign
Vague citations at document level rather than passage level. Or an answer along the lines of “the model is very reliable” — which sidesteps the question.
Question 04
What does the agent do when it can't find the answer?
Why it matters
This is the most revealing test of a deployment's quality. A well-designed system knows its limits.
A good answer
It says so explicitly and invents nothing. Some systems go further and cross-check an uncertain answer before presenting it.
Warning sign
“That doesn't happen,” or an evasive reply. Every system meets questions outside its scope; what matters is what it does at that moment.
Question 05
Who at the vendor can access our documents?
Why it matters
Vendor staff access is rarely volunteered, yet it is a real breach in confidentiality.
A good answer
Nobody, or strictly controlled access that is logged and requires your prior authorization. The vendor should be able to describe the technical mechanism that prevents it, not just its internal policy.
Warning sign
“Our employees sign a confidentiality agreement.” An agreement is a contractual commitment, not a technical barrier.
Question 06
Which subcontractors are involved, and where are they based?
Why it matters
The chain usually has more participants than advertised: host, model provider, email service, monitoring tool. Each one is a potential jurisdiction.
A good answer
A complete named list with countries of establishment. A vendor that has thought through its compliance knows this list by heart.
Warning sign
Hesitation, or a partial list that keeps growing as you ask more questions.
Question 07
Are we exposed to the CLOUD Act?
Why it matters
This is the point American vendors most often deflect, by steering the conversation toward the physical location of servers.
A good answer
A direct answer. If the vendor or one of its subcontractors is a US company, the exposure exists — even with servers in Canada. An honest vendor acknowledges this and explains how it limits it.
Warning sign
“Your data is hosted in Canada, so you're protected.” That is false, and it reveals either unfamiliarity with the statute or a willingness to reassure you cheaply.
Question 08
How is the document scope defined?
Why it matters
An agent with access to everything is an agent that can mix up two clients' files, surface an outdated version, or consult unvalidated internal notes.
A good answer
An explicitly defined scope, document by document or file by file, with the ability to exclude and withdraw. Ask how a document is removed once indexed.
Warning sign
“The agent learns from your entire history.” Framed as a benefit, it is in reality an absence of control.
Question 09
What happens if we terminate the contract?
Why it matters
The exit is negotiated at the entrance. It is also a Law 25 requirement in terms of portability.
A good answer
Your documents belong to you and are returned in a usable format. The index and copies are destroyed within a defined period, with written confirmation.
Warning sign
No written procedure, or data returned in a proprietary format unusable anywhere else.
Question 10
What audit trail exists?
Why it matters
Before the Commission d'accès à l'information or your professional order, you will need to document what data was processed, by whom and on what basis.
A good answer
A consultable log of access and queries, an inventory of indexed data, and the ability to reconstruct how a specific answer was produced.
Warning sign
“We are compliant” with nothing you can consult on your side. Compliance must be demonstrable by you, not merely asserted by the vendor.
Question 11
Who trains our teams, and what happens after deployment?
Why it matters
The most common cause of failure isn't technical. It's abandonment: the tool is delivered, nobody takes ownership, and six months later it goes unused.
A good answer
Training included, follow-up scheduled over time, and a named point of contact. Ask what happens in month three.
Warning sign
Training billed separately and left optional, or support available only through a ticketing system.
Question 12
Can we change hosting model later?
Why it matters
Your needs will evolve. A firm that starts cautiously in a sovereign cloud may want to bring its infrastructure in-house after growth or a sensitive mandate.
A good answer
Yes, with a description of the migration path and what it involves in time and cost.
Warning sign
An architecture that works in only one mode. You are then locked in, however good the service.