The diffusion of artificial intelligence in France
LIFT Working Paper 2025-01 — July 2025
Using more than 120 million job postings published online in France since 2019, this study examines the characteristics of the diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in firms and its effects on employment. AI diffusion turns out to be highly heterogeneous: it is particularly advanced in certain sectors (IT, finance, consulting) and within large pioneering firms. This heterogeneity is also visible geographically, with AI job postings highly concentrated in employment zones that host research clusters or specialized industrial hubs (semiconductors, insurance, aeronautics, etc.). We show that the firms most exposed to AI were significantly more inclined to hire AI specialists as soon as ChatGPT appeared. At the same time, we observe a relative decline in job creation in the occupations most exposed to AI. However, hiring in AI occupations goes hand in hand with an increase in labor productivity and revenue, together with an increase in total employment in the firms concerned, driven by highly exposed occupations at the expense of less exposed ones.
Diffusion, AI and employment, France, NLP
Using more than 120 million job postings published online in France since 2019, this study examines the characteristics of the diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in firms and its effects on employment. AI diffusion turns out to be highly heterogeneous: it is particularly advanced in certain sectors (IT, finance, consulting) and within large pioneering firms. This heterogeneity is also visible geographically, with AI job postings highly concentrated in employment zones that host research clusters or specialized industrial hubs. We show that the firms most exposed to AI were significantly more inclined to hire AI specialists as soon as ChatGPT appeared. At the same time, we observe a relative decline in job creation in the occupations most exposed to AI.
PDF in French