Artificial intelligence and cooperatives: levers of transformation for the business of tomorrow?

How do employees and managers view AI today? With the arrival of this new technology in the workplace, what are their fears and hopes? How can it be responsibly integrated into the company's operations? The third and final wave of the 3rd edition of the "The Company of Tomorrow" Barometer, produced by OpinionWay for the General Confederation of Scops and Scics (CG Scops), takes stock and provides some answers about this emerging phenomenon in business.

For Fatima Bellaredj, general delegate of the CG Scop: "SCOPs and SCICs, placing employees at the heart of decision-making, have a key role to play in the controlled integration of artificial intelligence in business to enable a transformation that benefits everyone."

Faced with AI, employees and managers are divided between enthusiasm and concerns

Artificial intelligence arouses both enthusiasm and apprehension. French employees and managers approach AI with measured optimism, aware of its opportunities, but also its challenges. Thus, 52% of employees and 60% of managers see AI as an opportunity for the business of tomorrow. The perceived benefits are numerous:

• the evolution of professions (74% of employees, 73% of managers)
• facilitation of financial management (73% and 63%)
• improving working conditions (69% and 59%)
• the acceleration of the ecological transition (69% and 58%)

AI thus appears to be a lever for modernization, contributing to performance optimization and environmental impact reduction. However, concerns remain about its impact on employment. 80% of employees and 71% of managers fear that AI will lead to job losses.

The integration of this technology must therefore be carried out responsibly, with support for employees in the transformation of their jobs. This concern is particularly strong among employees of medium-sized and large companies (200 to 999 employees), where 89% express their fears about increased automation.

Although perceived as a lever for optimization and modernization, AI raises fears related to job losses, particularly among employees. Its integration must be carried out with due consideration for social impacts. As models of cooperative and participatory businesses, SCOPs can play a key role in this transformation, ensuring more inclusive governance and a balanced approach between innovation and social justice.

For Jacques Landriot, president of CG Scop: "Artificial intelligence represents a major step forward, but its integration must be mastered to reconcile innovation and social impact. Companies must ensure responsible deployment, guaranteeing fairness and transparency while limiting its ecological footprint. It is by finding this balance that AI will become a true lever for progress serving everyone."

Methodological note

Barometer on the company of tomorrow, carried out for CG Scop by Opinion with a sample of 1.016 people, representative of the population of French employees working in companies with 1 or more employees, and a sample of 500 managers, representative of companies with 1 or more employees. The employee interviews were conducted by self-administered online questionnaire on the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) system, from September 19 to 25, 2024. The interviews with company managers were conducted by telephone from September 16 to October 9, 2024.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.