Author

Vincent Luciani

Cofounder and CEO of Artefact Group

On June 5th, Vincent Luciani, Cofounder and CEO of Artefact, delivered an insightful speech at the Adopt AI Summit organized by Artefact at Station F in Paris.

He shared personal anecdotes and professional observations, illustrating the transformative impact of AI on both individual aspirations and business processes. He emphasized the rapid advancements in AI technology and the significant potential it holds for reshaping industries and improving efficiency in the coming years.

When I was 12, my dream was to become a chess master, but every day I lost to my computer, and every day my father told me to keep trying because humans always beat machines at chess. But in the very same year, I witnessed the victory of Deep Blue over Garry Kasparov, three to two, and that crushed my last hopes.

Since then, I’ve seen AI push human boundaries many other times over the past 10 years:

  • When I studied philosophy, I was told that only humans were able to use words. Today, I believe we need to rethink this.

  • We thought only humans were able to share feelings, but studies have shown that AIs were more empathetic than doctors when listening to sick people.

  • Even the ability to do complex reasoning is being questioned, with AI able to pass advanced mathematical exams.

New frontiers are set every month and this trend even seems to be accelerating, as past models contribute to future research.

When I created Artefact 10 years ago with Guillaume and Philippe, I often had to explain the definition of AI. Well, that’s not the case anymore.

AI has spread globally faster than any other technology before and is today being experimented with in two out of three companies all over the world. What we see is amazing:

  • People work faster: at Artefact, we found that every Software Engineer was able to ship code 25% faster on average.

  • People are smarter: they focus more on value-added tasks as the others are automated. They learn faster. We found that AI elevates the level of employees to the equivalent of top performers.

  • People innovate more: the time to build a POC has dropped from three months to five weeks, and as a result, we often see advanced companies studying more than 500 use cases simultaneously.

This is only the beginning. Even with massive enterprise testing, GenAI is still in its infancy and the best is yet to come. Today, GenAI is mostly a bottom-up approach, used individually as a productivity factor by adding technology to existing tasks. We believe the next phase is to collectively reshape how work is done and redefine processes from end to end.

But 18 months after ChatGPT launched, we now know that industrialization at scale is not easy. Only one in 10 companies reports successful implementation.

Despite the apparent ease suggested by impressive public videos, there is enormous complexity. AI, and especially foundational AI, is only a toolbox and needs a lot of work.

  • Upstream, without data, there’s no AI. The best AI algorithm in the world, plugged into the wrong dataset, will clearly indicate something is wrong. AI highlights the need for strong data foundations.

  • Downstream, AI is about people. There is an urgency to train people. Out of those exposed, only one person in four has been trained, which is a massive risk in terms of the power of these tools.

Many questions remain partially answered defining the future of work, but also creating conditions of trust, protecting Intellectual property, and preserving our environment. Let’s walk the talk. Experiments are the best way to learn.

We have everything we need to face these challenges and I am particularly proud today to be French and European because I feel that something is happening:

  • We have some of the best fundamental research in the world, which has enabled the creation of companies such as Mistral AI or H.

  • We have oustanding support from France and Europe. I am very proud to announce that our Research Center at Artefact, has received the support from France 2030 to produce open source models together with Mistral AI.

  • I also see our culture of trust and transparency as a game changer in a world where adoption is everything. And when I travel to the US or the Middle East, I see more and more people willing to work with EU companies because they trust us with their assets, IP, and data.

No one knows what AI will be in three months, six months, a year. What I do know is that everything is about adoption. A technology is worth zero if it isn’t used.

Today, we are at a pivotal point: companies that embark on this journey will move at the speed of light and create competitive advantage forever.

Let’s be optimistic about building true complementarity between humans and machines. Chess has not disappeared, the level has only increased. Today, the best competitions in the world are those where humans and robots work together.

I would like to thank all the CEOs, Exco members, technology companies, start-ups, teaching and research teams who came today.

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, Artefact is already a big success: with 1500 people in 25 countries, we are one of the biggest pure players in data and AI in Europe. We owe this success to our amazing team, one of the most passionate in the world on these topics.

Finally, I would like to pay a big tribute to our clients, many of whom are here today, and without whom we would not have come this far. I am more than excited to see how we will meet these challenges together in the next decade.

Thank you – and let’s Adopt AI together!