“AI Is Fundamentally Changing The Way I Lead”

Havas' Chairman and CEO YANNICK BOLLORÉ discusses the group's transformation into an AI-first organisation, the impact of going public, and why India's creative ascent signals a larger opportunity for the network in this exclusive interview with BW Businessworld's Group Editorial Director, Noor Fathima Warsia

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Havas has made a bold pivot to becoming an AI-driven company. Why did you decide to centre the company's operating model around AI?

It was a significant milestone. Last year, we made a strategic pivot towards data, tech and AI, and launched our new operating system, Converged. This year, we've renamed it Converged.AI, which reflects our significant evolution. We are accelerating our transformation into a fully AI-driven organisation, but crucially, one that is powered by human ingenuity. Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving more rapidly than we had imagined. It's not just a passing trend but a revolution. I use it daily, and it has made me more innovative, strategic and efficient.

I heard you joke about longer and smarter emails now...

Longer, smarter and perfect English emails. In fact, I also built a secure internal agent, my own CFO avatar, that pulls five years of financial data and answers questions like what our reserves were in Costa Rica compared to India or China. Jokes apart, it is fundamentally changing the way I lead, and I believe its role in our daily decision-making will only grow.

Tell us more about Converged.AI and how it is differentiated from other platforms in the industry?