Welcome to 7 Hot AI Topics, a series of seven articles and videos exploring major Data & AI trends. For this season, members of Orange’s Executive Committee and Group Executive Committee have shared their own topics to shed light on corporate strategies and projects. Each of these topics represents a concrete solution for building a high-performing organization. So what are the major artificial intelligence topics to watch very closely in 2026? You will discover the seven selected themes throughout the month of January.
1. AI and corporate competitiveness
For this first topic, Christel Heydeman, CEO of Orange, speaks with Mick Levy, Director of Strategy & Innovation at Orange Business.
Christel Heydeman: Companies need to make AI a real driver of competitiveness.
Mick Levy: What benefits can companies expect from AI for it to become a true competitiveness lever?
Christel Heydeman: AI is a powerful lever of internal efficiency across many cross-functional roles. It has also become a key factor to attract talent and recruit for certain critical roles.
AI is evolving extremely fast, so there is also a real challenge not to miss this transformation, to ensure the gap does not widen between organizations that adopt these tools and those that do not.
Mick Levy: Many companies are aiming to successfully carry out an AI-driven transformation without falling behind the competition. What advice would you give fellow CEOs to make this transformation a success?
Christel Heydeman: First, by remaining humble in the face of the scale of the AI revolution. At Orange, this is a topic I personally champion at the highest level of the company. We have established strong governance, and I spend time reviewing use cases. We have also selected use cases that we believe deliver the greatest value, making clear choices both in governance and in use cases. And ultimately, learning by doing is key.
Mick Levy: Thank you for these insights, Christel!
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