AI, a gas pedal… but at what price?

Artificial intelligence promises dizzying productivity gains. According to BCG, one-third of companies in all sectors plan to spend more than $25 million on AI by 2025.

But this acceleration comes at a cost. Several executives and CSR managers warn that generative AI consumes a lot of energy. As one manager pointed out:

“We’re blowing away the counters in terms of productivity, but we’re missing out on our CSR commitments.”

AI is forcing companies to arbitrate between immediate performance and long-term responsibility.

Fragmented governance and the fantasy of decision-making AI

In some structures, AI has been deployed in a climate of chronic misalignment:

• IT tests tools,

• HR is against it,

• Comexes observe without deciding.

Far from bringing the hoped-for agility, AI reveals a fragmented governance where no one holds the central compass.

An emblematic case illustrates this paradox: in 2022, the Chinese company NetDragon Websoft appointed an AI, Tang Yu, to head up one of its subsidiaries. Officially tasked with streamlining processes, this virtual CEO poses a dizzying question: marketing gimmick or foretaste of a possible future?

This case highlights a fundamental tension: while some fantasize about 100% AI governance, many companies are still struggling to align their business departments around a shared vision.

Different levels of maturity in different sectors

AI adoption is not uniform:

• Retail, banking and tech: strategic vision, industrialized use cases, dedicated teams.

• Heavy industry and public services: slower adoption, hampered by structural rigidities, a lack of acculturation or restrictive standards.

AI is not neutral:

• for some, it represents operational optimization,

• a cultural transformation for others.

It therefore needs to be tailored to each company’s culture, business model and sector-specific rhythm.

AI imposes a vision of progress

AI cannot be approached as just another piece of software to be implemented. It forces every organization to clarify :

• his vision of progress,

• values,

• and consistency between words and deeds.

The challenge is not only technological, but also societal and cultural: AI is challenging the very mission of the enterprise.

Conclusion: between performance and coherence

Artificial intelligence is not a miracle cure. It acts as a revealer:

• of fragmented governance,

• cultural divides,

• and strategic dilemmas between immediate efficiency and long-term responsibility.

To take advantage of AI, companies need to move beyond technological fantasy and set out a coherent vision that integrates performance, governance and societal responsibility.