Four out of ten VSEs-SMEs now use AI
The figure has made the rounds of economic media: 40 % of French VSEs and SMEs report using at least one artificial intelligence solution in 2026. That is 14 points more than in 2025 (26 %) and three times more than in 2024 (13 %). These results come from the France Num 2026 barometer, conducted by Crédoc for the Directorate General for Enterprises (DGE) among 9 655 companies with 0 to 249 employees, surveyed between 23 March and 18 April 2026, and made public by the Ministry of the Economy on 28 September 2026.
The progress is real and rapid. Yet it deserves a close reading, because a 'use' can range from the occasional drafting of an email with a free conversational assistant to the integration of AI into production processes.
A two-speed adoption
First divide: size. SMEs (10 to 249 employees) are 53 % to use AI, compared to 34 % a year earlier and 16 % in 2024. VSEs lag behind, around 38 %. Second divide: sector. All are progressing, but from very different levels:
- digital: 72 %;
- specialized and technical services (consulting, engineering): 60 %;
- financial activities: 46 %;
- building-construction: 30 %;
- transport-logistics: 29 %;
- agri-food: 27 %;
- agriculture: 18 %;
The least equipped sectors are also those that are doubling the fastest (construction and agriculture doubled their rate in one year), a sign of a diffusion effect. But the gap of one to four between digital and agriculture reminds us that AI follows the fault lines already drawn by digitalization.
Still light usage
The nature of usage confirms this reading. Companies mainly use AI to generate text, voice, or images (34 %), then for conversational assistants and information retrieval (24 %). Document analysis or classification (13 %), task automation (11 %), and data analysis or forecasting (9 %) remain in the minority.
Above all, AI is only slowly entering budgets: 19 % of VSEs-SMEs use a paid solution (32 % of SMEs). Spending primarily goes to subscriptions and licenses (17 %), very little to training (5 %), custom developments (3 %), or consulting (2 %). However, payment seems to go hand in hand with perceived value: 68 % of users consider the impact of AI positive, and more than eight out of ten among those who pay for a solution. Finally, AI is a priority project for only 2026-2027 of companies (18 %), far behind the reform of electronic invoicing (39 %).
The paradox of trust
The barometer reveals a more worrying signal: the perception of the benefits of digital is declining. 71 % of managers believe that digital brings a real benefit to their company, 7 points less than in 2025. The decline reaches 8 points among VSEs and particularly affects retail, construction, and transport. At the same time, 33 % of VSEs-SMEs made no digital spending (+8 points) and 39 % report having suffered at least one cybersecurity incident in the past twelve months.
AI adoption is therefore progressing in a climate where smaller companies are more doubtful about the return on investment of digital transformation. This is a risk: free and occasional use, without training or security, can increase exposure to data leaks without producing sustainable gains.
Sovereignty: a stated preference for European offerings
The barometer sheds light on the question of suppliers: 84 % of VSEs-SMEs say they prefer a French or European digital service provider, a stable rate. But the nationality of the provider matters less for the purchase of software (72 %) and hardware (69 %). The survey does not specify the origin of the AI tools actually used: in practice, the most widespread free conversational assistants are often offered by large non-European players. The gap between the stated preference and actual usage therefore remains to be documented.
This is one of the objectives of the "Dare AI" plan, launched on 1st July 2025 as part of the national AI strategy. One year on, the government claims 35 000 companies have been made aware by a network of 615 "AI Ambassadors", a catalog of 88 solution providers with a European focus adapted to SMEs and mid-caps, published with Hub France IA, and 70 "Data AI Diagnostics" undertaken by Bpifrance, with a target of 1 000. The stated ambition for 2030: 100 % of large companies, 80 % of SMEs and mid-caps and 50 % of VSEs using AI.
"Our goal for the coming year is clear: move from awareness to action, go after companies that still think AI is not for them." (Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, 3 September 2026)
What the AI Act changes for an SME user
The European AI regulation came into force on 1st August 2024 and applies in stages. For an SME that merely uses mainstream tools, the obligations remain limited. Since 2 August 2026, transparency rules apply: for example, it is necessary to inform people that they are interacting with a conversational agent or to flag certain generated content. The most stringent requirements, those targeting high-risk systems (recruitment, credit scoring...), have been postponed to 2 December 2027 by the digital omnibus. Sanctions take proportionality into account for SMEs.
A real, but fragile, catch-up
The leap from 13 % to 40 % in two years is undeniable. But it is primarily based on simple, often free, uses and on businesses that are already digitized. The room for progress now lies in very small businesses, in physical sectors, and in integrating AI into professions, where human support matters more than the tool. For public authorities, the challenge is twofold: transforming curiosity into measurable productivity gains, and ensuring that this adoption does not come at the cost of increased dependence on non-European suppliers. Future editions of the barometer will tell whether the momentum of 2026 was a groundswell or a passing fad.
Sources : France Num, Barometer 2026 ; DGE, press release of 28 September 2026 ; DGE, one year of the "Dare AI" plan, 3 September 2026 ; European Commission, AI Act Service Desk ; European Commission, transparency obligations, 2 August 2026.
