AI, often underestimated, will transform work and greatly accelerate productivity. It will modify jobs more than eliminate them, favoring those who adapt quickly.
Technology always ends up transforming everything and has always shaped the way we work. What is changing today is the speed at which these transformations are taking place. Advances in artificial intelligence are accelerating the world of work at a pace that most organizations and individuals still struggle to comprehend.
Press headlines often focus on job losses and fears about young generations’ access to the job market. On the other hand, we talk much less about the incredible opportunity for progress that this revolution represents.
I’ve been in business for five decades, a little over half of which was in a still analog world. I remember the arrival of emails more than twenty years ago. In many cases, companies that remained deeply skeptical and stuck to their old ways did not survive the transition. Progress moved forward without them.
Today, we are at a comparable inflection point. AI is already improving productivity, opening new careers and challenging the status quo. In France, this dynamic is now supported at the highest level, with a reinforced national AI strategy, supported by France 2030, structured around computing infrastructures, talents, acceleration of uses and trusted AI.
AI does not mean the end of work, it ushers in better work
Increasingly, it is young employees who are teaching their older colleagues to use the tools that are redefining modern work. A recent study from International Workplace Group (IWG) shows that Generation Z plays a key role in the adoption of AI in business: almost two-thirds of young workers actively help their more experienced colleagues understand and use AI tools, whether through direct mentoring or practical advice integrating AI into daily workflows. This reverse mentoring generates real gains in productivity and collaboration.
On the skills side, demand is growing rapidly: the PwC “AI Jobs Barometer” analysis shows a sharp increase in offers requiring AI skills in France, with volumes increasing from 21,000 in 2018 to 166,000 in 2024 and this figure will be exponentially higher in 2026.
Yet anxiety still dominates the debate. According to a recent World Economic Forum survey, more than half of executives expect AI to replace jobs. A growing fear concerns the automation of entry-level career positions, which would deprive young people of the necessary steps to access more senior positions.
This ambivalence is particularly visible among young people in France: a Randstad study indicates that 52% of Gen Z respondents are worried about the impact of AI on employment, while 55% are delighted with its integration into business.
And many are already planning to use it: according to EY, 64% of the students surveyed believe that they will use generative AI in their first job.
AI-augmented learning accelerates upskilling like we’ve never seen before, at school, university or at work. The cards will be redistributed. There could be a limited drop in employment in certain segments, but the most likely reality is the transformation of professions. Young people will need to be more intentional in choosing their entry point into the job market in one, two, three or five years.
Moore’s Law and exponential progress
To understand what is happening today, it helps to go back in time. At the beginning of the 1970s, Intel launched the 4004, the world’s first commercial microprocessor. Shortly after, Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, observed that the number of transistors on a chip doubled approximately every two years. It was not a marketing slogan, but a fundamental observation: progress was not linear, it was exponential.
This observation became known as Moore’s Law. The message was simple: waiting two years does not mean getting a small improvement, but a spectacular leap.
The speed of businesses
This is precisely the mistake we are making today with AI. We view it as a simple efficiency tool, whereas it is part of an exponential curve, the most significant transformation I have observed since the creation of Regus in 1989. Exponential change does not only modify professions, it transforms the very speed of businesses.
I’ve already seen it. When emails first arrived, some respectable companies said they would never adopt them. They did not trust the technology and believed that postal mail had worked perfectly for centuries. But the email represented progress. Once email, smartphones, and the Internet were fully adopted, the pace of business didn’t slow down, it accelerated dramatically.
AI will have the same effect. Many believe that businesses will continue to move at the same pace, simply with fewer employees. This is false. When a person can accomplish ten or twenty times as much work in a day, organizations do not stagnate: they broaden the field of possibilities.
This acceleration also plays a role in trust: in France, the State is explicitly pushing for a “trusted AI”, in line with European requirements, to allow wider deployment in the economy while securing uses.
AI is also a better teacher than the old imprint learning model. AI-enhanced training allows you to climb the learning curve faster than ever, often right from the classroom, even before your first job. By eliminating repetitive tasks and generating huge efficiency gains, AI frees up time for what humans do best: think creatively, solve problems and innovate.
In a world dominated by AI, proactive profiles win
One of the qualities I look for in tomorrow’s talent is their ability to effectively use AI and understand how it can unlock the potential of a business. Those who have already signed up for an AI tool and are actively learning to leverage it today have an advantage. They bring new skills, energy and innovation to rapidly growing businesses, driving productivity and expansion.
Young people must plan ahead and ask themselves the right questions: “Where will I acquire the best professional experience in this new world?” “Do I have the skills that tomorrow’s companies will value? HAS”
In the past, ambitious employees learned to program in the evening or obtained additional qualifications alongside their jobs. This state of mind is more essential today than ever. Don’t rely solely on school or university to prepare you. Join a club dedicated to AI. Join a community. Train yourself on the tools that are transforming industries. Take charge of your own development.
Lead the way
Every major technological revolution follows the same pattern: many cling to their habits, while a minority adapt quickly and reap the benefits. What distinguishes our era is speed. Business velocity is increasing faster than ever.
AI, like Intel’s first chips, is a foundational technology: it accumulates, reinforces and transforms everything built on top of it. This is neither a distant possibility nor a passing trend: it is already the engine of scale and competitive advantage.
Those who choose today to engage, learn and experiment with AI will see opportunities expand rather than shrink. The story is clear: in periods of exponential transformation, those who act first gain the most.
