AI in Business: Enthusiastic Leaders, Cautious Employees

Rapid Spread of AI, but Limited Understanding and Significant Gaps

On March 24, 2026, Ipsos BVA published a report for Google titled AI in Business: Current State and Acceleration Levers. This report is based on four complementary studies: a survey on the perception of AI in 30 countries, an overview of usage among 2,041 active French workers, a survey of 2,348 executives in 15 European countries, and qualitative interviews with self-employed individuals and leaders of small businesses. The surveys were conducted between March and December 2025.

In France, 51% of adults used an AI application in 2025, marking a 23-point increase over two years. However, this rapid diffusion is not accompanied by an equivalent understanding. Only 59% of French people believe they understand what AI is, a score that places them at the bottom of the ranking among developed countries, behind the Netherlands (75%), South Korea (70%), and the United States (66%). Significant gaps appear according to demographics: 72% of those under 35 claim to understand AI well, compared to 45% of those aged 50 and older.

The Perception of AI by Workers

The perception of AI among workers is generally positive, with 46% holding favorable opinions and 22% negative. However, the report reveals a strong ambivalence depending on the issues at stake. AI is seen as an opportunity for businesses (41%) and personally (37%), but as a threat to workers (34%), French society (37%), and the environment (37%). Societal fears dominate, such as excessive dependence (25%) and loss of human interactions (24%), which precede the fear of being replaced by AI, which ranks fifth (21%).

Regular users express more fears than non-users, with 30% citing dependence compared to 20%, indicating a more developed critical awareness of the current limitations of the tool.

The Optimism of Executives

The perspective of executives is significantly more optimistic. 53% of them place AI at the top of the factors likely to have a positive impact on their business in the coming years. 70% believe that AI has already improved their productivity, and in 67% of cases, time savings exceed 3 hours per week per employee. The deployment also directly benefits teams. Indeed, 57% of companies that have invested in AI have increased the salaries of their employees. As for the threat to jobs, executives downplay it. Only 5% consider reducing their workforce if certain positions were automatable.

Basic Professional Uses and a Lag in Small Businesses

AI is still used more in personal spheres than in professional ones. 41% of workers use it at least once a week for personal reasons, compared to 35% at work, and only 9% use it daily in a professional context. Fewer than four out of ten employees (37%) combine personal and professional use.

The lag among small businesses is clear, with 58% of large French companies using AI, compared to 15% of small ones, according to Eurostat data cited in the report. Among those who use it at work, applications remain concentrated on assistance tasks, such as basic research (39%) and productivity gains like writing or summarizing (36%). The main barrier to adoption remains the relevance of use, with 27% of non-users deeming AI irrelevant for their jobs and 53% of users believing it can only assist them with less than half of their tasks.

The Training Deficit Fuels the Shadow AI Phenomenon

Only 21% of employees have received professional training in AI (30% in mid-sized and large companies, 16% in micro-enterprises, 13% among self-employed individuals). This deficit fuels Shadow AI. 42% of employees use AI at work through their personal accounts, and only 14% of companies have adopted internal rules known to their teams. Training expectations are concrete, with 62% of employees wanting case studies and practical examples. Self-identified gaps primarily concern the ability to interpret results (24%) and critical thinking regarding AI responses (20%).

The impact of training on adoption is also considerable. 68% of trained employees use AI at least once a week, compared to 26% among those not trained. Furthermore, 76% of trained employees report having identified new use cases thanks to this training. Mastery of AI is also becoming a lever for employability. Indeed, 58% of French executives claim to have already hired a candidate partly based on their AI skills. For training, employees identify technology companies as the most credible actors (27%), ahead of employers (24%) and training organizations (22%).

The 4 Key Takeaways from the Ipsos BVA/Google Report

• Rapid but Uneven Adoption: 51% of French people used AI in 2025, but familiarity varies significantly by age, gender, and education level.

• Discrepancy Between Executives and Employees: 70% of executives see productivity gains, while employees struggle to identify relevant uses for their work.

• Small Businesses and Self-Employed Individuals Ahead of Employees: Despite the structural lag of small businesses, their leaders use AI more and better exploit its potential.

• Training as a Decisive Lever: Trained employees use AI 2.6 times more at work, and 58% of executives are already hiring based on AI skills.