What Nobody Told Me About Artificial Intelligence
In Quebec, barely 12.7% of businesses use artificial intelligence[1]. Yet the ones that do gain an average of one hour per day per employee[2]. The gap is widening, and most Quebec SMBs simply don't know where to start to stay competitive.
In 2023, I started using artificial intelligence for a personal project. Nothing groundbreaking: I had a business idea and decided to build it with AI as my main tool. Hours, then weeks, then months of learning, testing, failing, starting over. At some point, the project had moved forward. But what surprised the people around me wasn't the project itself. It was how I had built it.
"How did you do that?" "What tools did you use?" "Could you show me?" People didn't want my product. They wanted to understand the tool behind it. The real need wasn't where I thought it was. It wasn't about the problem my project was trying to solve. It was about artificial intelligence itself.
That's where Horizon Secure was born.
April to September 2025: Laying the Foundations of a Quebec AI Company
Hi, I'm Samuel. I've been a paramedic since 2015, a self-taught learner, a dad of two young boys, and an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. Before Horizon Secure, I founded and ran a first aid and CPR training company for nearly ten years. Teaching, simplifying, making complex things accessible. That's something I've always done naturally.
When I realized the real need for SMBs was around AI, I started shaping the idea. From April to September 2025, I laid the foundations of Horizon Secure. Not in a downtown office, not with impressive seed funding. From my basement with way too much caffeine, a DigiHub that believed in the project from day one, and a circle of people who pushed me to see it through.
Dominique Oury, Director of Incubation at DigiHub Shawinigan, was the first person outside my inner circle to hear me out about the project, in June 2025. His response: "We can do something. We can help you." Since then, it's been meetings, laughs, and a mutual trust that just keeps growing. DigiHub's incubation program gave Horizon Secure the structure and connections that a young project needs to become something solid.
In September 2025, Horizon Secure officially came to life. The mission was clear from the start: make AI useful in everyday life, accessible to everyone, with no compromise on security or the human element.
Why You Can't Talk About AI Without Talking About Cybersecurity
Most AI training programs on the market approach the subject from a single angle: productivity. "Do more in less time." "Automate everything." "Save hours every week."
It's true: AI can do all of that! But there are two massive blind spots that many overlook: security and the human factor.
Every time you enter information into an AI tool, you're sharing data. Every time you connect an AI tool to your business systems, you're opening a door. Every time an employee uses ChatGPT or Gemini with client data and no safeguards in place, there's a risk. And in Quebec, with Law 25[3] fully in effect since 2024, that risk isn't just technical. It's legal.
Is your business ready to take on that responsibility without having thought it through?
Security as a Pillar, Not an Option
At Horizon Secure, we made a deliberate choice from day one to build cybersecurity and legal compliance into everything we do. Not as an optional module at the end. Not as a footnote. As a core pillar.
Adopting AI without thinking about security is like building a house out of cardboard. It holds up for a while. Until the day it doesn't. Just ask the three little pigs!
People First, Technology Second
"AI won't replace managers. But managers who use AI will replace those who don't."
This quote from Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President at IBM, sums up what I see every day in the field. Having supported over 20 Quebec SMBs and trained more than 100 workers and managers, I've noticed one thing: AI doesn't replace people. It replaces tasks. The repetitive, mechanical, time-consuming ones. The ones that keep your employees from focusing on what they do best: thinking, creating, deciding, serving their clients.
At Horizon Secure, we believe in technology that serves people, not technology that erodes human expertise. AI should be an assistant, not a replacement.
Two Non-Negotiable Principles
Human validation is mandatory. Everything AI produces must be read, verified, and approved by a human before it's used (with rare, well-defined exceptions in automation).
AI never makes decisions on its own. It suggests, it proposes, it accelerates. But the final call always belongs to a human. No exceptions.
If an AI generates an email with a factual error and you send it to a client without reading it, that's on you. Human double-checking isn't a productivity killer. It's a safety net powered by something no machine has: the ability to think, analyze, and exercise judgment.
How to Talk to AI the Right Way: The N.O.R.D.™ Method
"I tried AI, but the results weren't good." That's the most common frustration I hear. And in most cases, the problem isn't the tool. It's how you talk to it.
AI works like a highly capable intern who knows nothing about your context. Vague instructions? Vague results. Specific instructions with context and the right information? Useful results.
That's why I developed the N.O.R.D.™ Method, a four-step approach to structuring communication with artificial intelligence:
Nature of the role: what role do you want AI to play?
Objective: what do you want to get, specifically?
Reasoning expected: how do you want the AI to think?
Data available: what information can you provide?
That's the bare minimum for getting results that actually make sense. A solid starting point that naturally evolves with practice.
The Team Behind Horizon Secure
Horizon Secure isn't a one-person show. It's a team of collaborators and consultants united around a shared vision, each bringing distinct expertise to the table.
Lydia, a speech-language pathologist and education consultant, ensures every message is clear and understandable for everyone. Bruno, a software engineer at Michelin in France, brings world-class technical expertise. He's the one who led the rollout of GitHub Copilot[4] across the entire company. We've been collaborating for over 15 years.
Dominique supports me in strategic development, with over 30 years of business experience. Mathieu, an offensive security specialist and certified Penetration Tester[5], validates our cybersecurity content. Anthony, a management consultant, brings strategic perspective. And Juhana, administrative assistant and founder of Adjointe Signature, runs the behind-the-scenes operations when the company is firing on all cylinders.
Napoleon Hill said it better than I ever could: "No mind is complete by itself. It needs the contact and association of other minds to grow and expand."
Recognition That Validates Our Approach
In 2026, we won the OSEntreprendre Challenge at both the local and regional levels. For us, it's a recognition that our approach resonates beyond our immediate circle.
I was also featured on Noovo Info twice as an AI expert, and I appeared on the On Jase Business podcast for an hour-long episode about AI, entrepreneurship, and work-life balance. These appearances are a chance to demystify AI and show that Quebec SMBs, from Shawinigan to Trois-Rivières and beyond, have everything they need to move forward. They just need someone to guide them through the transition.
What You'll Find on This Blog
If this is your first time discovering Horizon Secure, here's an overview of what we offer Quebec SMBs:
AI and cybersecurity training: open to everyone, with no prerequisites and no jargon. In person, online, or in bootcamp format.
On-site corporate training: directly at your offices or via video conference, with examples drawn from your own reality.
Horizon 360° Program: from AI maturity assessment to ongoing support to embed lasting practices.
Custom solutions: AI agents, chatbots, and process automation designed around your real pain points.
The common thread: we equip your team. We don't replace it.
And this blog? It's our way of sharing that expertise at no cost. Analysis, practical guides, the latest on AI and digital security. For SMBs, managers, workers, and anyone curious about how these tools are going to reshape their day-to-day.
I won't promise you an article every week. What I can promise is that every article will be useful, honest, and written with the same rigor we put into our training. No clickbait. Thoughtful, tested, verified content.
The question isn't whether AI will change your industry. It will. The question is whether you'll be ready when it does. And the window of opportunity is still wide open.
Horizon Secure: the bridge between you and tomorrow.
Notes and Sources
Institut de la statistique du Québec, Adoption et utilisation de l'intelligence artificielle par les entreprises au Québec, 2025. Available at statistique.quebec.ca.
Adecco Group, Work, Workforce, Workplace 2025, 2024. Available at adeccogroup.com.
Law 25 (An Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information) has been fully in effect since September 22, 2024. It requires Quebec businesses to meet strict obligations regarding the collection, use, and protection of personal information, including appointing a privacy officer and reporting confidentiality incidents.
GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered programming assistant that suggests code to developers in real time. Deployed at scale in a company like Michelin, it's a concrete example of AI integrated into the professional workplace.
Offensive security (or penetration testing) involves simulating cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities in a system before a real attacker can exploit them. A certified Penetration Tester holds internationally recognized certifications that attest to this expertise.
Comments (0)
No comments yet.
Leave a comment