Data at the Core: Privanova's Role in Shaping Robust Management for the ELOQUENCE Project

In a world increasingly driven by AI-powered conversations, how can we ensure these digital dialogues remain ethical, trustworthy, and grounded in human values?

This is one of the central questions at the heart of the ELOQUENCE project, a revolutionary initiative funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme. ELOQUENCE aims to revolutionize conversational AI by making it safer, multilingual, bias-mitigated, and transparent, capable of serving both low-risk environments, like home assistants, and safety-critical settings such as emergency services. Among the 13 beneficiaries and 3 associated partners across Europe, Privanova is entrusted with a pivotal responsibility: to lead the charge on data governance, privacy compliance, and ethical oversight.

ELOQUENCE: A Pan-European Vision for Ethical Conversational AI

The goal of ELOQUENCE is as ambitious as it is necessary: to create AI-powered dialogue systems that are explainable, culturally inclusive, and human-centric, capable of operating safely in critical domains like emergency services while also performing in less risky environments such as home assistants.

In doing so, the project aims to move beyond existing systems, many of which are developed outside the EU and often lack transparency or robust ethical underpinnings. By supporting human-in-the-loop interaction and emphasizing bias mitigation and privacy, ELOQUENCE reflects Europe’s core digital values.

But no system, no matter how sophisticated, can be truly responsible without strong data governance. That’s where Privanova plays a crucial role.

Privanova: Guardian of Ethics and Data Protection

Privanova specializes in data protection, privacy compliance, and the ethical governance of emerging technologies. Within ELOQUENCE, Privanova holds the unique position of leading the ethics and data protection activities, ensuring that the project doesn’t merely function, but that it functions correctly. As per the ELOQUENCE Grant Agreement (Project No. 101135916), Privanova is tasked with responsibilities that span:

• Ensuring full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Leading the creation and management of the Ethics Advisory Board
• Developing the project’s Data Management Plan
• Monitoring and mitigating ethical and societal risks
• Supporting partners in conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs)
• Documenting data processing activities through Ethics Compliance Logs

In short, Privanova is the ethical and legal compass of ELOQUENCE. 

Why This Matters: The High-Stakes World of Conversational AI

Imagine a conversational AI system deployed in a hospital, an airport, or during a natural disaster. In such scenarios, a misinterpreted query or a biased response isn't just an inconvenience - it can have life-or-death consequences. The ELOQUENCE project specifically addresses these “safety-critical” environments by ensuring that conversational agents are accurate, explainable, and human-centered.

The involvement of humans-in-the-loop is a critical requirement. These systems are trained to defer or escalate decisions to a human operator when uncertainty or ethical ambiguity arises. Privanova ensures that from the earliest phases of development, data flows are lawful, transparent, and limited to what is necessary. Every partner must adhere to strict data governance protocols, and Privanova provides the training, tools, and review processes to make that happen.

A Transparent Framework: Data Management and Ethics Compliance

One of Privanova’s first contributions to ELOQUENCE is the Data Management Plan (DMP), a foundational deliverable that lays out how all project data will be collected, processed, stored, and eventually made FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).

Furthermore, the Ethics Compliance Log (another instrument pioneered by Privanova) is a dynamic tool that captures real-time ethical concerns, risks, and resolutions. This fosters a culture of accountability, where ethical discussions are documented and acted upon.

To ensure independence, Privanova also facilitates the Ethics Advisory Board (EAB), composed of external experts in privacy, ethics, and AI. These advisors evaluate project deliverables, flag emerging risks, and offer strategic guidance to keep the consortium aligned with both EU values and global ethical standards.

Supporting Innovation Without Compromising Rights

As conversational AI becomes increasingly pervasive, it is tempting to prioritize functionality over privacy. However, innovation and privacy are two sides of the same coin. Privanova ensures that the principles of data minimization, purpose limitation, and informed consent are rigorously applied. Additionally, the company guides the consortium in deploying privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and supports partners in ensuring that no personally identifiable data is exposed beyond necessity.

What Comes Next?

The ELOQUENCE project will run until December 2026, with multiple pilot phases and testing cycles ahead. As conversational agents move from the lab to real-world environments, Privanova’s role becomes even more critical. From revising DPIAs to updating the DMP, from hosting EAB workshops to providing compliance checks on deliverables, Privanova will continue to act as a trusted advisor and partner.

To learn more about Privanova’s expertise and how we support responsible innovation, visit www.privanova.com.