iO launches Bonzai: an AI platform that turns uncontrolled adoption into structured business value
"Many organisations today find themselves in a paradox: everyone is using AI, but no one truly has a grip on it,” says Pieter Janssens, CEO at iO. “With Bonzai, we’re making AI manageable, scalable and secure.”
12-03-2026 - With iO Bonzai, iO offers its clients a controlled, scalable enterprise platform to professionalise AI adoption. Unlike generic AI tools, iO Bonzai operates within a company’s existing IT architecture, respecting internal access rights and data structures. The platform is primarily aimed at mid-sized and large organisations with diverse marketing and data structures.
AI is being embraced at speed by marketing and technology companies — but that adoption often lacks control. Teams use disconnected AI tools, data is processed across multiple environments, and compliance risks are mounting. With the launch of Bonzai, iO introduces a new type of AI platform that brings order to that sprawl. According to iO, Bonzai marks a new phase in professional AI adoption: moving away from experimentation and towards structural deployment with measurable business value.
"Many organisations today find themselves in a paradox: everyone is using AI, but no one truly has a grip on it,” says Pieter Janssens, CEO at iO. “With Bonzai, we’re finally making AI manageable, scalable and secure. Not as a standalone tool, but as a foundation beneath all your processes.”
Bonzai is fully hosted in EU data centres and designed in accordance with ISO-27001 and GDPR principles, with governance and cost control built in.
iO Bonzai is an enterprise AI layer that runs on top of existing systems such as CRM, CMS, marketing automation and document platforms. It brings together chat, AI apps and automation in one secure environment, tailored to the data, guidelines and governance of each organisation.
From AI experiment to AI infrastructure
Where most AI solutions focus on individual use cases, iO Bonzai is built as a platform with three layers:
- Bonzai Chat — a secure, branded enterprise GPT for teams
- Bonzai Apps — ready-to-use AI applications for marketing, content, support and operations
- Bonzai Connect — integrations with existing business data and tools
This allows organisations to deploy AI on their own data, without distributing that data to external AI tools. They no longer need to choose a single model, but can instead rely on a managed AI architecture in which models can be deployed flexibly.
A first in the agency world
With iO Bonzai, iO positions itself as one of the first agency groups in Europe to develop its own AI infrastructure product for clients, including Plopsa, Suzuki, Optiphar, AkzoNobel and Signify.
“AI has become too important to treat as a standalone feature,” says Pieter Janssens, CEO at iO. “We see iO Bonzai as the AI layer that will become as self-evident as your CRM or Digital Experience Platform. It’s no longer an experiment, it’s a strategic business platform.”
iO Bonzai is already being used by several clients across marketing, customer service and operations, with applications including:
- a secure enterprise GPT that allows employees to use AI safely, without sensitive data reaching external AI platforms
- AI apps for marketing and content, such as conversational search, GEO tracking and AI-assisted content production
- smart AI access to existing knowledge and systems, including websites, documentation and internal tools
Why this matters now
The launch comes at a moment when businesses are grappling with:
- uncontrolled proliferation of AI tools
- rising AI costs
- stricter European regulation
- growing pressure to make AI genuinely profitable
According to iO, Bonzai is a response to this convergence of technology, governance and business value.
“The next phase of AI isn’t smarter, it’s more mature,” says Pieter Janssens. “Bonzai is built to make that maturity possible.”
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About iO Bonzai
iO Bonzai is an AI and automation platform developed by iO as an infrastructure layer on top of existing business systems. The platform combines AI chat, applications, and integrations in a single secure, scalable environment for organisations that want to implement AI in a structural way.
About iO
iO is one of Europe's leading digital agencies and home of ambitious people, organisations and brands. Since 2005, we deliver marketing that performs, content that connects, and platforms that scale - all seamlessly integrated across data, media, AI, infrastructure and digital operations. With more than 2,000 experts across 12 campuses in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Bulgaria, we help brands such as Audi, Brussels Airport, Efteling, Lidl, Philips, and AkzoNobel to transform their digital experiences.
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