---
title: "AI in business: usage is growing, but governance is lagging behind — Marsanne Studio AI watch"
description: "According to Coface's 2026 Data & AI Barometer, 60% of French companies use AI without a formal framework."
url: "https://marsanne.studio/en/ai-watch/ai-in-business-usage-is-growing-but-governance-is-lagging-92fb53/"
lang: "en"
---

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Data study · 10 May 2026

# AI in business: usage is growing, but governance is lagging behind

Original title, in French: “IA en entreprise : les usages progressent, la gouvernance reste à la traîne”

**Publication**

Coface (France)

**Author**

Unsigned

**Published on**

10 May 2026 · read in the page structured data

## Summary

The 3rd edition of the Data & AI Barometer, produced by Coface with Les Echos Etudes and based on 900 decision-makers, shows that AI is spreading across French companies without being governed. 60% of companies have no formal framework for their use of AI, and only 17% consider themselves advanced in using it for decision-making. At the same time, confidence in data is improving: 67% of decision-makers consider it reliable, compared with 49% in 2025. The study reveals a gap by company size: those with more than €100 million in revenue are three times more likely to describe themselves as advanced in AI than those with less than €10 million. The main obstacles cited are data security, regulatory compliance and a lack of internal maturity.

Summary based on the full text of the article.

[Read the article on Coface →](https://www.coface.fr/actualites-economie-conseils/ia-en-entreprise-les-usages-progressent-la-gouvernance-reste-a-la-traine)

## Figures cited

-   60 %
    
    share of companies with no formal framework for AI
    
    900 decision-makers at French companies, 2026
    
    > « 60 % des entreprises ne disposent toujours pas d’un cadre formalisé pour leurs usages de l’IA »
    
    Source: Baromètre Data & IA 2026, Coface / Les Echos Etudes
    
-   17 %
    
    share of companies advanced in using AI for decision-making
    
    900 decision-makers at French companies, 2026
    
    > « seules 17 % s’estiment avancées dans son utilisation pour la prise de décision »
    
    Source: Baromètre Data & IA 2026, Coface / Les Echos Etudes
    
-   35 %
    
    share of companies with no AI governance arrangements and no plan to introduce any
    
    900 decision-makers at French companies, 2026
    
    > « 35 % des entreprises ne disposent aujourd’hui d’aucun dispositif et ne prévoient pas d’en mettre en place »
    
    Source: Baromètre Data & IA 2026, Coface / Les Echos Etudes
    
-   17 %
    
    share of companies that have defined, formalised and communicated an AI policy
    
    900 decision-makers at French companies, 2026
    
    > « seules 17 % ont défini, formalisé et communiqué une politique auprès de leurs collaborateurs »
    
    Source: Baromètre Data & IA 2026, Coface / Les Echos Etudes
    
-   56 %
    
    share of companies considering themselves not very advanced or not advanced at all in using AI to manage risks
    
    900 decision-makers at French companies, 2026
    
    > « plus d’une entreprise sur deux (56 %) se considèrent peu ou pas avancées »
    
    Source: Baromètre Data & IA 2026, Coface / Les Echos Etudes
    
-   28 %
    
    share of companies with no structured use of AI
    
    900 decision-makers at French companies, 2026
    
    > « 28 % déclarent ne disposer d’aucun usage structuré de l’IA »
    
    Source: Baromètre Data & IA 2026, Coface / Les Echos Etudes
    

## Classification

**Country**

France

**Company size**

SMEs, Mid-sized companies, Large companies

**Industries**

All industries, or industry not specified

**Companies**

Les Echos Etudes (study author), Coface (study author)

**Keywords**

AI governance, AI adoption, data quality, decision-making, data barometer

Coface sells AI services or products: its studies and publications should be read with that interest in mind.

Entry written by Marsanne Studio from the cited article, with the help of an AI model (claude-sonnet-5). The rights to the article and its illustrations belong to Coface. Entry translated from French by Claude Sonnet 5.5.