Enterprises and AI: Our hearing at the Senate

On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Jean-François LUCAS, our Executive Director, and Frédéric Gaven, a member of the think tank, were auditioned by Senators Damien Michallet and Jérôme Darras, and Senate Advisor Bernard Rullier, as part of the development of an information report by the Senate Delegation on Enterprises on the topic of enterprises and artificial intelligence.

As part of the development of an information report by the Senate Delegation on Enterprises on the topic of enterprises and artificial intelligence, our Executive Director and Frédéric Gaven, a member of the think tank, were auditioned by Senators Damien Michallet and Jérôme Darras, and Senate Advisor Bernard Rullier.

During this exchange, Renaissance Numérique had the opportunity to discuss the barriers identified in the adoption of generative AI by SMEs and micro-enterprises, shadow AI, the evolution of middle management, and of course the challenges and modalities of professional training (shared reference framework for skills across the five dimensions of literacy – Proposal 7 from our report –, funding – Proposal 9 –, coordination and ecosystem coherence). We also reaffirmed the importance of having a shared strategic vision for AI, for France and Europe.

Here are our key messages:

1. The delay is not merely technological; it must also be considered from the perspective of skills and knowledge.
2. The barriers to AI deployment in SMEs and micro-enterprises are multiple: lack of identified and contextualized use cases, lack of awareness of possibilities, shadow AI (without placing all responsibility on individuals), lack of time and resources, etc.
3. We need to think on two different time scales to resolve the tension between the urgency of economic pressure for adoption and the necessity of long-term critical acculturation.
4. We need a national AI competency framework and a national digital and AI summit to develop a common, coherent, shared vision based on existing resources, in service of lifelong education and training for all.
5. Specific redistributive mechanisms (tax policy, equalization transfers) can help finance training for SMEs and micro-enterprises.
6. Everything is there (training programs, actors and ecosystem, resources…), but what is lacking is a vision and funding commensurate with our ambitions.
7. AI literacy (and digital literacy) is a democratic, social, and economic imperative.