[Edito] What if artificial intelligence made work more human?

AI is not just another wave of innovation; it is a seismic shift. The speed of diffusion, intuitive interfaces and open-access capabilities make it uniquely transformative. Unlike ERP rollouts or prior waves of automation, generative AI has lowered the barriers to experimentation across all levels of an organisation. At FDJ UNITED, we’ve made the deliberate choice to equip our teams with the right tools that are secure, ethical and embedded in our systems. We believe that innovation must be aligned with governance from day one.

Studies by the International Monetary Fund suggest that two-thirds of jobs in advanced economies are highly exposed to AI. We don’t dispute that. In fact, we see it up close. At FDJ UNITED and among our partners, many roles – from developers to sales representatives – are being redefined. Karim Lakhani, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, summarises this shift succinctly: “AI won’t replace humans, but humans using AI will replace those who don’t.”

AI helps us reallocate time from low-value, repetitive activities towards more strategic, relational and creative endeavours. Take our commercial teams: historically, up to 50% of a sales representative’s time could be spent on administrative tasks – preparing visits, reconciling dashboards and writing reports. That’s not where their human value lies.

With AI, we’re shifting that paradigm. We are working on an assistant called LUCIA – a voice bot powered by Mistral AI – to help our sales representatives prepare customer visits in minutes, not hours. After meetings, they can dictate a summary that’s transcribed, structured and logged into our CRM in real time. LUCIA is freeing up human energy so more time can be spent with clients where trust is built. Relationships enable good business, and ultimately, this is where value is created.

That extra time gained is strategic, as we will open 500 new retail points of sale this year and thousands more in the future. These new retailers need even more engagement from our retail support team – more human time, face-to-face.

It’s also essential to initiatives like FDJ & Moi, our omnichannel loyalty and engagement programme for our players. FDJ & Moi helps 28,000 retailers onboard new customers into our new omnichannel experience – a process that requires human connection, coaching and conviction. That’s where AI helps most – not by doing the job, but by giving our people the extra time and tools to simply do it better.

At FDJ UNITED, the human experience has always been central. Our games are built on emotions, interactions and shared moments. We use AI to better protect vulnerable players, thanks to partnerships with world-renowned research institutes such as the CNRS leading to innovations in cognitive science. We use it to support responsible gaming – not just by identifying risk, but by customising interventions. AI-generated scratch cards could soon offer personalised game experiences tailored to individual preferences and special occasions. We have been presenting a prototype of this nature exclusively for VivaTech 2025, the global tech innovation event in Paris. Here again, technology doesn’t replace – it reveals.

This transformation is not easy. Within the Group Data and AI Department, the Change Management team supports employees in adopting these solutions as part of its transformation programme, Game Changer AI.

It challenges how we work, manage and lead. That’s why we decided to start our AI acceleration journey with training our senior leadership teams on data and AI last May. Building AI skills is a must at every level. Every successful AI transformation is, first and foremost, a human transformation – one that requires vision, responsibility and courage. Ultimately, we believe the future of work won’t be less human – it will be more human than ever. But only if we choose it – and at FDJ UNITED, we have.