Generative AI use is spreading quickly among French mid-sized companies, but most have yet to report ​clear productivity benefits, according to a survey by ‌state-backed investment bank Bpifrance.

Bpifrance said in its annual barometer of Entreprises de Taille Intermédiaire, or ETIs, that 77 per cent of 534 ​company heads surveyed said their firms use generative ​artificial intelligence, while only 17 per cent of those using ⁠it reported time savings from the technology.

The findings ​suggest adoption is moving faster than measurable returns, as ​many companies still struggle to turn new tools into practical efficiency gains.

  • Firms using generative AI more intensively were more likely to ​report benefits, with 23 per cent of regular users seeing ​productivity gains compared with 12 per cent of occasional users
  • Some 78 per cent of firms ‌said ⁠they expected generative AI to have a positive impact on productivity over time, up 11 points from a year earlier
  • Use of generative AI was more common among ​services firms ​and industrial ⁠or construction companies than in commerce, transport and tourism
  • Demand remained the main brake on ​growth, with 55 per cent of firms saying current ​or ⁠expected demand weakness was weighing on activity
  • The 2026 cash-position outlook balance fell 2 points to -12, with industrial and ⁠construction firms ​particularly downbeat
  • The revenue outlook balance ​rose 8 points to +18, but remained well below its 2011-2025 average of +29