In 2026, AI training for companies is multiplying, but not all of it is equal. This guide reviews the main types of AI training available, the criteria for choosing the right course, and the financial support open to SMEs and mid-sized companies in France.
Artificial Intelligence in Business: Why SMEs Can No Longer Wait
Artificial intelligence in business changed in nature with the arrival of generative AI. Tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and their professional versions can now automate repetitive tasks, personalise customer communications and speed up data processing. These applications of artificial intelligence in SMEs, once reserved for large groups, are now within reach of every organisation.
For an SME, the productivity gain is real. Saving precious time on writing, reporting or natural language processing concretely changes how work is organised. But an AI tool without training remains an under-used tool. Teams need to understand what is at stake, identify concrete use cases, and know where AI’s capabilities end before they can make the most of it.
Generative Artificial Intelligence: The Fundamentals to Master Before Training
Generative artificial intelligence relies on language models that can produce text, code, images or analyses from an instruction. Mastering generative AI tools in a professional setting does not require a technical background. It requires understanding the use cases, the limits and the associated risks (data leaks, bias, dependence on the models).
Prompt engineering, the skill of writing effective instructions, has become relevant to every profession. Building artificial intelligence into existing processes starts there.
Before choosing AI training, you need to identify:
- Which repetitive tasks can be automated?
- What are the concrete, high-impact use cases for your teams?
- Which AI strategy is consistent with your objectives over the next 12 to 18 months?
How to Choose Artificial Intelligence Training: The 4 Key Criteria
The market for artificial intelligence training has grown considerably. Between free MOOCs, certifying courses, online training and tailor-made programmes, it is not easy to find your way. Here is what sets the best AI training apart from generic content.
1. Qualiopi Certification and Funding Eligibility
To fund AI training through the Skills Development Plan (PDC) or OPCO schemes, Qualiopi is a necessary condition, but actual coverage depends on the rules, priorities and budgets of the OPCO concerned. (An OPCO is the skills operator that manages training funds for your industry in France.) For CPF funding (the personal training account), the training must also prepare for an active certification registered with the RNCP or the RS (France’s registers of professional certifications), the provider must be authorised by the certifying body where required, and the offer must be listed on Mon Compte Formation.
2. A Balance of Theory and Practice
The best AI training does not present generative artificial intelligence in slide decks. It lets learners work on their own data and processes, and identify applications that transfer directly to their professional setting. Theory and practice must alternate to anchor the learning.
3. Personalised Support
Building AI skills takes support that goes beyond providing content. A trainer who adapts the programme to the company’s real profiles and AI projects makes all the difference. This kind of professional training creates adoption where generic training stays anecdotal.
4. Online or In Person?
Online training offers flexibility to very small businesses and SMEs. A blended format, with remote modules and in-person sessions, combines flexibility with human support. It also lets you tailor learning paths to the real operational constraints of the teams.
The Best AI Training: What Is Available in 2026
Here are the main categories of AI training for companies, by profile and objective.
General AI Training: Using AI at Work With No Prerequisites
These programmes let non-technical teams use AI at work in their own professional setting. Training people on the available tools (ChatGPT, Gemini) starting from concrete uses such as writing, summarising and automation allows rapid adoption. This training saves precious time from the first weeks.
Specialised AI Training: Experts and Data Profiles
For advanced applications of artificial intelligence: computer vision, language processing, data jobs. This AI training is aimed at technical experts who want to build skills on defined AI projects.
Tailor-Made AI Training: Professional Training Adapted to Your Sector
The programme is co-designed with the company to identify priority use cases and personalise the exercises based on the realities of the job. Concrete applications and lessons learned anchor the learning. This training helps teams quickly spot opportunities in their daily processes. Applications of artificial intelligence in SMEs generate the most value when the training is co-designed from the realities on the ground.
Bpifrance, CPF and PDC: Financial Support for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
Training your teams in artificial intelligence is an investment, but several schemes can help fund it.
The CPF
Employees can use their CPF for certifying AI training delivered by a Qualiopi-certified provider, provided the certification is active and registered with the RNCP or the Répertoire Spécifique (RS), and the offer is listed on Mon Compte Formation. It is activated directly, depending on the available budget.
The Skills Development Plan (PDC)
The PDC funds teams’ skills development through the industry OPCO. For SMEs and mid-sized companies, investments in AI training are covered within the available OPCO budget. It is the main lever for training in AI within a structured professional framework.
Bpifrance and Support for AI Adoption
Bpifrance, the French public investment bank, offers digital diagnostics, grants for investments linked to generative AI, and transformation support for SMEs and mid-sized companies. Some tools are available free of charge on its platform. Freelancers, entrepreneurs and SMEs can also explore the regional opportunities offered by France Num.
The Opportunities of Artificial Intelligence in Business: Don’t Miss the Turn
AI in business opens up concrete opportunities at every scale. For very small businesses and SMEs, using AI on low-value-added tasks such as writing, reporting and data processing creates an immediate, measurable productivity gain.
Applications of artificial intelligence in business processes are open to every organisation, whatever its size. The simplest applications are often the most profitable. Companies that train their teams now gain a competitive advantage that their competitors will take time to close.
Training in AI does not mean changing everything. It means identifying where generative AI creates the most value in your existing workflows, and equipping your teams to make the most of it over the long term.
Train Your Teams in AI With Marmignon Brothers
Marmignon Brothers is a Qualiopi-certified organisation offering in-company AI training for SMEs, mid-sized companies and large groups. Our AI programmes are built on the e-dutainment method, an approach that roots every course in the concrete realities of your sector.
Our AI training covers:
- Using AI at work with no technical prerequisite
- Mastering generative AI tools in your professional setting
- Prompt engineering applied to your jobs
- Automating repetitive tasks to save precious time
- Identifying concrete use cases with a strong return on investment
Each programme is co-designed with your teams. Our trainers start from your real AI projects to tailor a learning path that creates lasting adoption, not just a completion score.
→ Discover our in-company AI training and request a tailored quote
