Filippo Rizzante was never quite like other children. While his peers were busy playing video games, he was already programming them. Today, as CTO of Reply, a global consulting firm, he reflects on his journey, the origins of Reply, and his vision of a future profoundly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI).

Early days: Growing up with code

Originally from Turin, in the northwest of Italy, Filippo Rizzante was immersed in the world of computing from an early age. “I grew up with computers at home, which was rare in the 1970s”, he recalls. With a background in computer software engineering, he is now one of the leading figures at Reply. 

His father, Mario Rizzante, was a pioneer in the IT sector. After founding a company focused on factory automation, he went on to lead Digital, one of the first web search engines. While his father led Digital for three years, Filippo and his older sister Tatiana were studying engineering at university. They belonged to the first generation of engineers to graduate with Internet skills in the mid-1990s. With their father, they founded Reply, a name chosen to reflect their response to the transformational potential of the internet.

The Reply Model: Decentralized and Specialist

From day one, Filippo and his family recognized the Internet not merely as a media tool, but as a force that would fundamentally transform business operations and customer interactions. Their aim was to help large companies adapt to this shift and integrate internet-driven technologies into their core processes.

Reply was structured not as a single monolithic company but as a network of over 230 independent companies worldwide. This vast ecosystem relies on two key principles: autonomy and accountability. Each company has its own mission, clients, and delivery model, collaborating when needed. “We are not a legacy outsourcing player”, Filippo says, “we are about niche expertise and innovation”.

Reply’s teams are diverse, combining engineers and computer scientists, creatives focused on UX and content, and consultants with deep vertical expertise. This blend enables them to tackle complex, high-value challenges.

“Reply currently employs around 16,000 people and is one of the fastest-growing technology firms in Europe. We hold strong positions in Italy and are expanding rapidly in Germany, France, the Benelux region, while also investing in the UK and the US.”

AI: The continuation of Computer Science

“AI is simply the natural progression of computer science and a continuation of the transformation that began in the 1960s and 70s”, Filippo explains. His 1996 engineering thesis explored smart mobile agents, early autonomous programs that crawled websites and exchanged information. Though simple, their logic mirrors today’s generative AI.

He sees AI's biggest current impact in three areas: productivity, software development, and creativity.

On productivity: “We’re involved in large-scale projects that support change management for the adoption of tools like Microsoft Copilot within major organizations”, he notes. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot are now common in everyday workflows.

In software, AI is reshaping the entire stack, from infrastructure built to run large models like GPT or LLaMA, to new platforms orchestrating agents that interact with humans and each other. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella puts it, “the era of software-as-a-service is over”. Filippo adds, “Legacy platforms must be re-evaluated, or in many cases rebuilt from scratch, to remain competitive in this new paradigm”.

Creativity is also rapidly evolving. AI now generates images and videos, but also 3D assets, music, and audio. Reply organizes two flagship events: the AI Film Festival and the AI Music Festival at the Kappa FuturFestival, the world’s sixth-largest electronic music event. These highlight how AI empowers small, creative teams to create at scale.

A changing web and rise of intelligent agents 

Filippo points to another major disruption: how users access content online. “For the first time, Google search volumes are declining. People now get direct answers from AI models. Web pages and views will drop by 50% or more in the next two years”.

As personal AI agents emerge (handling tasks like shopping, scheduling, or negotiating), new protocols are enabling agent-to-agent communication. “Google has already developed these protocols”, Filippo points out. “This is the future. Brands must now rethink how they remain relevant in a world where bots talk to bots”.

Reply and AI Integration

“Our decentralized, niche-focused model makes us especially fit for this transformation”, Filippo says. Rather than relying on massive offshore teams, the group delivers highly specialized AI-powered projects through agile, expert teams.

“We’ve already reinvented entire processes such as claim management for a major insurance firm, using agent-based AI systems”, he adds. “In Luxembourg, we developed an agent-based system for asset management firms. It monitors regulatory updates, evaluates their impact, and suggests compliance actions. These agents communicate in natural language and significantly reduce the workload on compliance officers”.

Internally, Reply uses a platform called Neurons, which hosts hundreds of AI agents created by employees. These include tools for summarizing documents, enhancing prompts for ChatGPT, and managing CRM processes through an agent-based system called Sally. They also explore robotics and digital humans in physical environments using lifelike avatars that interact contextually with people.

Strengthening presence in Luxembourg

Reply has been active in Luxembourg for over a decade, beginning with Avantage Reply, the company specialized in financial regulation and management consulting.

Avantage Reply offers a comprehensive range of services in risk management, finance, and compliance, with a strong historical focus on the banking sector. To reinforce its support for the Asset Management & Servicing industry, Avantage Reply merged with e*Finance Consulting Reply at the end of last year. This strategic move expanded its capabilities in regulatory compliance across key areas such as AML/KYC, ESG, investment and distribution, data analytics, and operational support.

To further meet client needs in technological transformation, Business Elements Reply complements this regulatory expertise by delivering innovative, technology-driven solutions. Specializing in Microsoft Business Applications, Business Elements Reply plays a vital role in enabling digital transformation, process automation, hyperautomation, AI-powered tools like Copilot, and the implementation of Dynamics 365, helping organizations streamline operations and enhance customer engagement.

Recognizing the growing importance of cybersecurity, Reply has also extended its offering in Luxembourg with the launch of Spike Reply. This new business unit is dedicated to cybersecurity and IT Risk Management, addressing the evolving challenges faced by CISOs and reinforcing Reply’s commitment to comprehensive digital resilience.

“We’re actively expanding our capabilities in Luxembourg”, Filippo concludes, “with dedicated investment from the group to support local growth and delivery. Our goal is to bring the innovation we drive across Europe to Luxembourg, helping organizations prepare for what’s next”.

Reply remains committed to driving digital transformation, AI, and robotics across sectors and geographies. Their innovation-first, decentralized model positions the company as a leader in the new era of intelligent, agile enterprise technology.