Generative AI has invaded the professional world at a breathtaking speed. But behind the technological excitement lies a paradox: AI is everywhere in individual use cases, but «almost nowhere» in the structured processes of companies. How to bridge this gap? How to lead its digital transformation through AI? How to transform individual enthusiasm into lasting collective performance?
Here are the central questions addressed during the Webinar «AI Transformation: What will be the evolution of skills in 2026?» organized by talenco with Laëtitia Thiel (DGA Communication, Digital & Customer Experience at Best Western France), Raphaël Kattan (DG Associate of talenco) and Cyrille Chaudoit (Co-founder of talenco and IA expert).
These testimonies have brought to light a fundamental truth: The deployment of AI is not an IT project; it is first and foremost a human transformation., managerial and cultural. Strategic and operational testimonies and experiences are a good source of inspiration for successfully implementing your AI transformation.
1. The great paradox of AI: between «shadow AI» and strategic reality in the company
To understand the urgency of the situation, we must first look at the numbers. The situation is undeniable: the current situation is a « HR challenge in multiple speeds ».
On the one hand, the expectations are immense: 77 % of the companies are looking for an improvement in productivity through AI and 70 % On the other hand, the reality on the ground shows an alarming discrepancy identified by the MIT State of AI in Business 2025 :
- 90 % of the employees are personal AI users (the famous «Shadow AI»).
- Only 40 % of the companies they have officially deployed an internal solution.
- Even worse, only 5 % of the AI projects Those integrated into business processes are considered to be truly effective and profitable to date.
As it is emphasized Cyrille Chaudoit (talenco), expert in the use of AI: «Artificial Intelligence is everywhere and almost nowhere at the same time. It is still poorly understood, poorly evaluated and poorly viewed, especially when we think about its impact on work.».
This gap is explained by three major obstacles that hinder the transition to industrial scale:
- Technical brakes (aggregated data, quality of the data).
- The absence of a clear strategy (cited by 52 % of the companies).
- The skills deficit, While 39 % of the companies believe that the business fundamentals will have to evolve by 2030.
Raphaël Kattan (talenco) warns the leaders who still hesitate: «Not taking control of AI is detrimental on three levels: we are falling behind, shadow AI is developing [with its security risks], talent is fleeing, and employees become unemployable».
2. AI in the hotel industry: 3 steps to structure and secure the use of artificial intelligence
In the face of this observation, how can a company respond concretely? Laëtitia Thiel shares the exemplary experience of Best Western France, which managed to shift its teams from a «wild» approach to a collective and secure practice. The hotel chain’s strategy was implemented in three methodical stages over six months:
- Mapping and listening: Interviews with the Comex and about twenty industry experts to understand the tasks and frustrations.
- Technological benchmark: selection of secure solutions adapted to the group’s specificities, notably its international presence.
- Collaborative restitution: Involvement of the teams in the final choice to ensure adherence.
The result is spectacular: today, 90 % of the headquarters' employees use a secure AI platform (Delos) almost daily.
The keys to successful acculturation
For Laëtitia Thiel, success does not depend on the tool itself, but on the human support. Best Western has put in place a comprehensive system to optimize the assimilation and use of generative artificial intelligence:
- Leadership: Official launch by the CEO to legitimize the initiative.
- The IA ambassadors: a reference point trained in each department to support his/her peers.
- The «AI minute»: a monthly ritual during company meetings to share new developments and inspiring use cases.
«AI does not replace humans; it accompanies them… It frees up time for tasks with higher added value.», Laëtitia Thiel specifies.
The gains are already measurable at Best Western: in customer service, the impact of AI has enabled the automation of simple responses, a reduction in the number of calls, and a better quality of service. 25% increase in productivity % and an increase in Customer Effort Score (CES) of 16 points, while freeing up teams to handle more complex requests.
3. Beyond the prompt: the era of «professional agents» to industrialize value
One of the major lessons from these early experiences is the need to move beyond the craft of «prompting.». To scale up, we need to structure the use.
Raphaël Kattan and Laëtitia Thiel agree on one point: not asking every collaborator to become an expert in everything. The solution lies in the «professional agents». Best Western has developed more than twenty of them: writing HR ads, creating LinkedIn posts, translating menus for hoteliers, etc.
The principle? Instead of writing a complex order to the AI, the collaborator fills out a form and the agent generates the deliverable according to predefined quality standards. This reduces technical friction, ensures brand consistency, and secures data.
Methodology: prioritizing with RADAR© and MEDIA©
To choose which agents to develop, talenco develop, and rely on two decision matrices :
- The RADAR© : to select the use cases aligned with the company’s strategy. An exclusive method developed by talenco to identify them. pain points, map the paths to generative AI solutions and select the most suitable ones: RAnationalization, Drupture, Aspattering, RExecution:
- The MEDIA© matrix: to validate the human feasibility (Mthe gain is exhausted, Érisk assessment, Dvalue erosion — what do we do with the time gained?, Iidentification of the formations, Activation).
4. Competences 2026: why critical thinking becomes the soft skills No. 1 against AI
If AI is taking care of operational production, what remains for the human being? Paradoxically, the rise of AI marks the great return of behavioral and cognitive skills.
According to the World Economic Forum, % 70 employers consider analytical thinking as the priority skill in 2025.
Raphaël Kattan insists: «The skills that take on value are those that the machine does not easily reproduce: critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, decision-making...».
AI as a «sparring partner»
The challenge is no longer to produce, but to pilot and challenge the machine. Cyrille Chaudoit uses a strong image:
«Being critical is first of all using these tools as challengers of our own preconceived ideas, and then challenging our own answers in turn.».
AI should not be an oracle, but a lever for helping with decision-making, a «sparring partner» that helps refine one's thinking.
However, A risk awaits: standardization. If everyone uses the same models with the same prompts, thinking becomes standardized. That’s where the problem lies. human creativity must intervene to get out of the «average» generated by the algorithms.
5. The hidden risks of generative AI: cognitive fatigue and a loss of meaning
The immediate and visible benefits of AI (the automation of repetitive and value-added tasks, for example) should not obscure our awareness of its «side effects».
Laëtitia Thiel shares an counterintuitive observation: The automation of simple tasks can lead to increased cognitive fatigue.
The mechanism is as follows: previously, the brain alternated between complex tasks (strategic thinking) and simple tasks (answering a basic question). These simple tasks provided mental «breathing» time. With AI now managing 80 % of these simple responses, The employees complete complex tasks without any downtime.
«The brain's rest periods no longer exist. The brain is no longer resting, and at the end of the day, teams are more tired,», Laëtitia Thiel testifies.
To this are added two other major risks Identified by the participants during our webinar:
- Cognitive laziness: By relying on AI to synthesize and translate, we lose the habit of intellectual effort and verification.
- The transmission failure: The juniors learned the trade by performing simple tasks. If those tasks are automated, how do we train the experts of tomorrow?
6. The new role of the manager: orchestrator of digital transformation through AI
In the face of these upheavals, The manager remains, once again, the key to the transformation. The . manager leader It can no longer content itself with controlling work; it must become a coach and a facilitator.
His roadmap is structured around four axes:
- Giving meaning: explain why AI is being used and reassure about employability.
- Reallocate time: clearly define where the time gained through AI should be invested (customer relationship, creativity, strategy).
- Monitoring mental health: detecting signs of cognitive fatigue and reintroducing breathing times.
- Preserving the transmission: Ensure that fundamental knowledge continues to be taught to juniors.
Towards «agentic» management»
The arrival of autonomous agents is expected in the near future. In certain sectors such as logistics (example of Lowe’s in the USA), AI is already assigning tasks to humans in real time.
Tomorrow, the manager will have to manage hybrid teams composed of human users and AI agents. He will have to arbitrate the decisions made by the algorithms, ensure their ethical compliance, and ensure that the human-machine collaboration remains fluid and accepted.
AI Transformation: a HR project first and foremost
In conclusion, achieving the strategic alignment of AI deployments to maximize return on investment does not depend on computing power, but on organizational maturity.
As Raphaël Kattan summarizes, it is necessary to work on SVPP :
- Knowing: Inform and acculturate.
- Wanting: to inspire and create a positive sense of urgency.
- Power: provide the secure tools and training.
- Pilot: measure the adoption and the real impact.
The adoption of AI is not a technological project for 2026; it is a Sustainable paradigm shift.
For companies, the urgency is to move beyond inertia or simple «let-it-be» (shadow AI) and take back control. It is up to Human Resources, in partnership with the IT department and the business units, to build the framework where the use of AI amplifies human potential without exhausting it.
FAQ: Generative AI and the transformation of companies
1. How does generative AI transform companies?
AI accelerates productivity, improves competitiveness, and automates tasks with low added value. But beyond the technology, Its true transformation is human. New work modes, evolving skills, new managerial roles and the need for a clear framework of use. AI becomes a sparring partner which helps to think and not an oracle. Companies that do not commit to this see the development of «shadow AI», a loss of employability… and a strategic disadvantage that is difficult to overcome.
2. Why is there talk of «shadow AI» in organizations?
Because 90 % of the employees are already using AI on a personal level, This often happens outside of official frameworks. Without clear governance, it leads to security risks, a loss of coherence, exposed data, and a lack of strategy. This Discrepancy between massive individual use and official deployment still limited (40 % of the companies) is one of the major paradoxes revealed by MIT.
3. What skills will become priority with AI in 2026?
“Human” skills are becoming central again: critical thinking, creativity, the ability to challenge the results of AI, emotional intelligence. AI taking on the production role, Human value moves towards analysis, interpretation, and the ability to generate original ideas. The manager of tomorrow drives more than he produces.
4. What risks does generative AI pose to employees?
Three major risks are emerging: a increased cognitive fatigue, Because AI eliminates the «micro-breaks» allowed by simple tasks; a intellectual laziness, If we rely too much on AI to synthesize or translate; a transmission failure, Because juniors no longer learn through simple tasks that are now automated. In general, managerial vigilance is essential to ensure that the time saved by AI does not lead to «dissatisfaction».
5. How to effectively structure the deployment of AI in the workplace?
Experience shows that a three-step approach makes it possible to deploy AI effectively:
- Listening to and mapping real usage patterns (interviews, annoying job).
- Choosing the right tools, secured and aligned with international standards.
- Involving the teams in the choice and adoption, through ambassadors, rituals, training…
The winning quartet remains: Knowing (acculturation), Wanting (motivation), Power (equipement), and Piloting (measurement). And to go further, it is essential to consider that Users remain at the heart of the AI device They are the ones who will make the tools live in everyday life and truly transform their practices.
When well deployed, AI can become a real lever for continuous learning and helps employees become more efficient while strengthening their autonomy. It also enables the establishment of new, more collaborative, more structured and more value-added work routines.
