Microsoft has launched a comprehensive program centered on AI and its professional applications. This program focuses on detecting, collectively evaluating, and deploying innovative solutions tailored to each business function within the company. We talked with Eneric Lopez from Microsoft France about advancing professional uses of AI through hackathons
Currently, AI is a hot topic, but is generative AI the same as AI?
Eneric Lopez: Generative AI adds something extra in terms of democratization and the need to accelerate its adoption. There are now many applications for generative AI. We are witnessing a phenomenon where users, individuals, are adopting it personally and need it in their professional sphere.
We’re seeing something similar to what we experienced with devices, a “Bring your own AI” scenario: “I want the generative AI that I use personally in my work environment.” This is how it’s also somewhat different.
We know that AI is a major topic at Microsoft. What are the main priorities for Microsoft?
Eneric Lopez: Firstly, AI is not a new topic for Microsoft. We’ve been working on AI-related projects for about 35 years. Now, with the acceleration of generative AI, all products that incorporate AI at Microsoft, such as the well-known Copilot, as well as all the models we’ve integrated into our Azure cloud platform with OpenAI and Mistral among others, are experiencing a boost in generative AI.
One challenge at Microsoft is to accelerate the adoption of generative AI. This requires training and showcasing use cases to speed up these applications and thus innovation within small, medium, and large enterprises. And indeed, at these companies, it ranges from small SMEs to very large corporations.
“We are witnessing a phenomenon of ‘Bring your own AI.”
Do you see a difference in AI adoption between small businesses and large corporations today?
Eneric Lopez: Yes. First, there’s a distinction between individuals in the personal sphere and individuals in the professional sphere. There’s a dichotomy. For instance, recent statistics show that over 70% of people say: “I use generative AI daily.”
And if we consider French statistics, 56% do so and want it in their work. Now, we are seeing this phenomenon of “Bring your own AI” emerge. People think: I have AI at home, and I want it in my everyday life and at work.
In large corporations, employees quickly embraced the change. It’s part of the digital transformation. They are implementing it. There’s even a bit of FOMO, the “fear of missing out.” I can’t miss the AI wave.
When we look at smaller businesses, the figures are not the same. According to a study by BPI Lab on 40,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, only 3% of leaders of very small businesses or French SMEs use generative AI. Even though they see great interest in it, 71% say, “I’m not trained,” and 72% “I haven’t identified the use cases.”
This difference also exists at an individual level and even within organizations. It’s not FOMO; it’s FOBO: “the fear of being obsolete.” I’m afraid that AI might eventually replace me. We need to “fight” this by providing training.
Then, we need to detect use cases, identify them, and work on them.
So, what is your plan to help companies identify their use cases and also train in AI?
Eneric Lopez: You’re right to talk about a plan because in March 2024, we launched a major movement called À VOUS L’IA. It’s based on both training to create informed AI users and on detecting and sharing use cases.
“To identify use cases, we’re not going to have a technology-centered approach.”
We will have an approach more focused on business value. What is the pebble in your shoe? And what could AI do for you?
And the best way to help people imagine is to do it in an open innovation mode, and that’s why we started working with you. That’s why we decided to create the À VOUS L’IA platform on Agorize, because behind it, we reference these training contents. Quickly, we can go into this open innovation, creating “ideathons” and hackathons. We will have working groups that can be together and work on identifying and refining use cases. This is to deploy them on a large scale.
Take our Women In GenAI program for example. Our goal was to answer the question: How can we raise awareness among young women about generative AI? We launched it in partnership with EY. The program saw teams of young women working on real concrete cases brought by clients and partners such as France Travail, Malakoff Humanis, l’Assurance Maladie.
To reach our goals, these teams had to be animated. They had to be able to meet, exchange ideas, and be connected with their mentor and coach. That’s the advantage of running such programs on a digital platform, something Agorize made possible for Microsoft.
Thanks to Eneric Lopez from Microsoft France for his insights and advice. Get access to the full conversation by watching our 3-part series on YouTube.
