Man vs. Machine: AI in Large Organizations – Henri Pidault

During our Masterclass in Managerial Excellence, we were delighted to welcome Henri Pidault Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the SNCF Group, for an in-depth discussion on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in large organizations. With his vast experience and expertise in digital transformation, Henri shared his thoughts on the evolution of AI, its use in business, and the challenges that accompany it.

A journey to the heart of digital transformation

Henri Pidault began his speech with a brief overview of his career. A graduate of the École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, he started out in software development before joining SNCF in 2019, where he pilots the company’s digital transformation. At the same time, he chairs the Renater an organization dedicated to technologies for education and research. Henri has also shared his approach to AI through his book “Make AI your everyday ally” in which he encourages leaders to see AI not as a danger, but as a partner in innovation.

Generative AI: a major technological evolution

Henri Pidault then delved into the history and evolution of AI, recalling the importance of neural networks in the 1980s, before the real revolution came in the 2010s with the appearance of TPUs (Tensor Processing Units), which radically accelerated computing capabilities and the adoption of AI in business.
He stressed the importance of generative AI, a form of AI capable of producing content autonomously, based on massive corpora of data.
The emblematic example is the arrival of ChatGPT from OpenAI, which marked a turning point in the popular adoption of AI. ” Generative AI is a paradigm shift that has made AI accessible to everyone.
It’s no longer just a tool for experts “said Henri, underlining the profound impact this has had on businesses, including SNCF.

AI as an ally, not a threat

One of Henri Pidault’s key messages is that AI should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat.
Contrary to popular belief, AI will not replace humans, but rather complement their work.
In particular, he pointed out that in sectors such as maintenance or cybersecurity, AI can help diagnose problems and anticipate breakdowns, while lightening employees’ workloads.

Securing the use of AI in large companies

While AI is a promising technology, Henri warned of some of the risks that come with it. He shared examples from companies such as Sony who have had to deal with leaks of sensitive information via unsecured AI. That’s why, at SNCF, Henri insisted on implementing secure systems to protect confidential data, while maximizing the benefits of generative AI.“AI needs to be framed, with strict security measures to prevent deviant uses or leaks of sensitive data,” he explained.

Towards a collaborative future with AI

To conclude, Henri Pidault shared his vision of a future where AI and humans work hand in hand.
Thanks to technologies such as wide language models (LLM) or restricted language models (SLM), employees will be able to use AI to automate complex tasks and gain in efficiency, while remaining in control of key decisions.
He also stressed the importance of involving managers in AI adoption. “Ideas won’t come from AI experts, they’ll come from managers.
It’s up to them to take ownership of these technologies and make better use of them. “he added.

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