Generative AI use among French managers jumps to half of workforce, study finds

A survey released last month by the Association for Executive Employment (Apec) reveals that half of French managers and professional staff now use generative artificial intelligence at least once a week. The weekly usage rate rose from 35 % in March 2025 to 50 % at the time of the survey, a pace described as the quickest uptake for a workplace technology in recent years.

Who is using AI and how

Tools such as ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini are reported to be used throughout open‑plan offices. Employees younger than 35 are the most frequent users, with a weekly usage rate of 62 %, while workers older than 55 have risen to a 33 % weekly usage rate – an increase of twelve percentage points.

Typical applications include generating ideas, drafting emails and reports, summarising documents and testing decisions before implementation. More than half of managers who use AI regularly consult the technology on personnel matters, including the preparation of annual performance reviews.

Training and governance

Only 29 % of managers surveyed say they have received any training on AI, and a minority of the 1,000 companies surveyed have published formal AI usage charters. Nevertheless, almost one in two companies now explicitly encourage AI use, and among large corporations 70 % are reported to actively promote adoption.

Perceived benefits

Among respondents who use AI frequently, 84 % claim it makes them more efficient and 81 % say it helps them generate new ideas. The shift toward encouraging AI is portrayed by industry observers as genuine progress compared with a defensive stance a year earlier.

Industry response

Seventeen major French employers – including Vinci, EDF, Renault and Crédit Agricole – have signed a manifesto calling for collaborative AI and human responsibility. Initiated by Jean‑Baptiste Barfety, the manifesto argues that successful transformation should prioritise human capabilities rather than rapid, universal AI deployment. It acknowledges that some jobs will evolve or disappear, likening the change to the elimination of open‑outcry traders on exchange floors, but rejects the notion of a wave of AI‑driven layoffs. The signatories also urge firms to protect entry‑level positions, describing them as essential training grounds for future experts.

Broader labour market impact

A November 2025 study by Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab found that AI had reduced employment for younger workers by 16 % in the most AI‑exposed occupations such as sales and communications. Anne Richard, president of the National Association of HR Directors, reports that some French firms have reduced intake of interns and apprentices to encourage existing staff to use purchased AI systems. The reduction in intern and apprentice intake is described as temporary but adds strain to an already tight youth labour market.