At the beginning of the school year, a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a very famous university on the east coast of the United States, made a splash. According to the authors, who researched real cases of using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in business, almost all (95%) will not benefit from it.
Not surprisingly, consulting firms are more enthusiastic. “According to our figures, 5% of companies are making a lot of money with AI, but 35% are expected to make money soon and in total, 40% of companies are moving forward. There is real progress”said Sylvain Duranton, global director of BCG
Of course, the ones who profit the most are also those who invest the most. However, “When they implemented AI, they saw performance improvements of 6%, either in revenue growth or cost reduction, and estimate these improvements will increase to 12% in the next three years”notes Sylvain Duranton. One of “very significant increase in competitiveness”he believes.
What do they do different from others? They are investing twice as much in AI, especially in agents, systems capable of carrying out tasks with complete autonomy. And not satisfied with just providing an LLM (language model) or assistant, but focused on transforming their business processes, develop BCG X world directors.
Starting from SMEs to large groups
Technology companies, of course, are more advanced in this field, more advanced than the industrial world, and even more advanced in public services. Not yet, “no sectoral inevitability”stressed Sylvain Duranton. Echoes of optimism also came from the general director of Google France, Sébastien Missoffe. “Most of the” Companies today are looking at how AI can help them solve problems, he said. This also applies to “very small business”such as the Marseille supermarket La Cigale et la Sardine, which is improving its community thanks to AI, he highlighted.
That’s the observation of Google’s French boss “real productivity improvements in many SMEs” as well as in large groups. And it cites a partnership with CMA-CGM (owner of La Tribune, editor’s note) to maximize efficiency in ship route selection thanks to artificial intelligence. In short, Sébastien Missoffe is sure of this: “We are still in the early stages. We have to look at the curve which is currently very impressive and we will continue to measure this acceleration in the years to come”. According to a Google study with economist Antonin Bergeaud, AI innovation could generate up to 90 billion euros in additional value to French GDP by 2034.
The AI agent has arrived
It remains to be seen how concrete AI will be implemented in companies. The need for a clear strategic vision from general management is underlined by Sylvain Duranton. The importance of understanding tools too, by Sébastien Missoffe.
As for IBM, which posts profits of 4.5 billion euros thanks to AI by 2025, the IT giant has launched a global program to examine all its applications and business processes to identify what can be eliminated, simplified and automated. For example, the HR function, “bombarded with questions all day” obstacles from “manage Excel files”judge Xavier Vasques, vice president and technical director of IBM France. “We have implemented an AI agent. As a result, 94% of the questions and requests sent are automated”.
Enough to provide time for HR to focus on business transformation, coaching, career management, and other value-added tasks. And reduce “40% of the operational budget on the HR side”he illustrated it. Other contributions, in R&D. Previously, finding new materials for semiconductors took 10 years and an investment cost of between 10 and 100 million dollars, “With a tool like this, it would take a million years”assured Xavier Vasques.
Other players are also making real progress in the field of AI agents. That’s how the giant Salesforce launched its platform for using virtual agents for business a year ago. “We gave him a job description: here are the actions you can perform, the limitations, and the channels you can use. He will be able to write emails or communicate by voice”testified Emilie Sidiqian, general director of Salesforce France. Objective : “Adding employees” Or “taking over” to ensure 24/7 service. “We have 12,000 customers worldwide”welcome the leader. In this case, France is ranked in the top 5 markets. Another popular belief that has been eroded is that many clients are SMEs.
Upheaval
In fact, this new digital workforce is shaking up the business world. This not only triggers job fears, but also raises cyber concerns. Therefore, the main issue is “safe language and learning model”said Jérôme Berger, director of Venture Capital Orange. His group has also entered into a partnership with Mistral AI to explore this new area.
However, AI, for business, is a central theme today. “In the M&A market, no deal is done without an AI risk assessment”testimony of Mathieu Gross, partner at Messiers&Associés. “Today, about two-thirds of mergers, acquisitions or investment transactions are driven by AI. Some have seen valuations halve, others quadruple”he commented. To go with the flow and survive in the AI world, some players have no choice but to do so“invest heavily to survive”.
