| Riding the artificial intelligence wave has become a geopolitical and economic imperative for France, an ageing society in dire need of productivity gains. Yet while France has talent in the form of brainy engineers and AI startups like Mistral — and the force of a top-down centralized state to promote them — it’s lagging in the adoption race. Last year, about 10% of French companies used AI linked technology, lower than the EU average of 13%. There are a few reasons behind the gap. One is a pre-existing disconnect between France’s strong telecommunications infrastructure and a lack of digitalization among small businesses, which makes it harder to find use cases for chatbots or more automated online shopping. There’s also a lack of big technology champions that would create or deploy tools at scale. And then there’s the matter of risks related to generative AI, from inaccuracy to cybersecurity, which makes companies more hesitant to rush in. Closing the gap will mean getting firms to understand how they can actually benefit from the tech, according to French IT services firm Capgemini. “People tend to over-focus on productivity, but it isn’t the best angle to consider,” the company’s chief executive Aiman Ezzat tells Bloomberg. “What we should be focusing on is value creation.” He gives the example of an oil-field services firm that might use AI to speed up the maintenance of an offshore platform – the gain isn’t in productivity but in the value of actually having the platform up and running.
 An AI-aided vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle at the Paris Air Show on June 17, 2025. Photographer: Matthieu Rondel/Bloomberg And while geopolitical tensions in the age of Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are heightening worries over the “sovereignty” of the supply chain in tech and AI, Ezzat says these worries need to be re-calibrated. “The word sovereignty is being abused,” he says, pointing to the reality that most of the tech stack is American, right down to the chips that power data centers. He says that the focus should be on “data sovereignty” that protects companies from extraterritorial information requests like the US Cloud Act, which is achievable using cloud solutions that are air-gapped. Combining AI deployment and IT services, as Capgemini is doing via partnerships with the likes of Mistral, isn’t without its own challenges: Some argue the tech is so transformative it will mean fundamentally different economics that defy existing business models. Still, efforts to improve adoption should be lauded at a time when France and Europe are struggling to grow their economies. And maybe that’s the toughest part for businesses: Investing in AI requires confidence and cash, neither of which are plentiful in the current environment. “The combination of geopolitical risk and low economic growth is not good for client confidence and investing in growth,” says Ezzat. It may get worse before it gets better. France must urgently take steps to rein in public finances or soon be forced into painful austerity, the country’s audit court said. Mistral and Airbus SE are among companies calling on the European Union to suspend implementation of its landmark artificial intelligence regulation for two years. The top of the Eiffel Tower shut to visitors as temperatures in Paris climbed as high as 41C in a heat wave that triggered electricity cuts and school closures across France.  Pedestrians shelter in the shade in a park near the Eiffel Tower during a heat wave in Paris, on July 1, 2025. Photographer: Anita Pouchard Serra/Bloomberg Worldline SA hired an external firm to go through its portfolio of risky clients as the payments firm seeks to restore trust following media allegations that it turned a blind eye to fraud. France’s minority government survived a no-confidence motion over pension reform thanks to Marine Le Pen’s far-right party abstaining in the vote. Euronext NV said it’s in talks to buy the Athens stock-market operator, a move it says would help integrate Greek capital markets into the euro area. Monday: Paris Haute Couture week starts. Tuesday: Senate reading of energy planning law; Raise AI summit; Finance Minister Lombard questioned by lawmakers on Cum-Cum trades. Wednesday: Bank of France economic survey. Thursday: Bank of France's Villeroy speaks at presentation of current account report; Sotheby's auctions the original Birkin bag; French trade balance. Friday: French CPI. The tourism market could triple in size by 2040 to $15 trillion, according to a report by Boston Consulting Group, which sees emerging markets as the big driver of demand.  An artist displays artworks featuring Parisian tourist destinations along the banks of the River Seine in central Paris, on Feb. 21, 2024. Photographer: Andrea Mantovani/Bloomberg | 
