When a local bakery uses connected point-of-sale software to adjust its flour orders in real time, it is embracing digital transformation. Digital innovation is no longer the preserve of large corporations. It is reshaping how businesses of all sizes operate and changing everyday activities, from contactless payments to booking appointments online.
Connected data and the Data Act: what the European regulation changes
Do you use a smart thermostat, a connected fitness tracker or a machine tool fitted with sensors? These devices continuously generate data about how they are used. Until recently, only the manufacturer decided who could access this information.
The European Data Act, applicable since 12 September 2025, changes this approach. It sets rules for sharing data generated by connected products. In practical terms, users can now request access to data generated by an object they have purchased and share it with a maintenance provider or third-party service.
For businesses, this changes their relationships with suppliers and customers. An independent mechanic, for example, can request diagnostic data from a connected vehicle to offer servicing without relying on the manufacturer’s network. Data sharing is becoming a tangible competitive advantage, not an abstract concept reserved for cloud specialists.
For people in their everyday lives, this framework brings greater transparency. Knowing what data an object collects and being able to retrieve it changes the relationship of trust with technology. Browsing Perceptum’s latest news gives a sense of how quickly these regulatory issues are influencing organisations’ technology choices.
AI in small and medium-sized businesses: adoption is real but uneven
Artificial intelligence is the subject of much discussion. In practice, adoption varies considerably depending on a company’s size. The 2025 France Num barometer confirms that AI use among small and medium-sized businesses has increased compared with the previous year, but there is a marked gap between businesses with just a few employees and those with larger teams.
Why the gap? Smaller businesses face three practical barriers:
- The upfront cost, even though free or low-cost tools are available, because training time remains an invisible but real expense.
- A lack of in-house expertise to identify relevant use cases beyond simply trying out a chatbot.
- A lack of structured, usable data, since an AI tool cannot produce anything useful without clean input data.
AI cannot fix a poorly organised process. A business that digitises its invoices in a poorly structured spreadsheet will get little value from a predictive analytics tool. Digital transformation often starts with getting things in order: sorting, standardising and cleaning existing data before connecting an algorithm.
A practical example: inventory management
A food retailer can use AI software to forecast sales based on the weather, day of the week or current promotions. The system identifies correlations that a store manager may not spot by eye. The practical result: less waste and better-calibrated orders.
This type of application does not require a large-company budget. It does, however, require several months of digitised sales history and someone who can configure the tool.
Algorithmic transparency: the practical requirements of the AI Act
Since 2 August 2026, the European AI Act’s transparency rules have applied to several common uses. Any interaction with a chatbot must make clear that it is an AI, and certain content generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence must be identified as such.
For businesses deploying a virtual assistant on their website or a writing assistant for their teams, this requirement changes how they operate. Simply connecting a tool is no longer enough: they must inform users, document how the system works and check that the content it produces meets labelling requirements.
For users, this transparency changes the everyday experience. When an online customer service clearly states, “You are chatting with an artificial intelligence,” people can adjust their expectations. Algorithmic mediation becomes visible, reducing confusion between human and automated responses.
A cultural shift more than a technological one
The AI Act does not stifle innovation. It sets a framework for transparency. Businesses that build transparency into their digital tools from the outset gain credibility. Those that add it later may have to redesign their entire interface.
Digital transformation in everyday life: beyond the rhetoric
Digital technologies are also changing everyday tasks. Booking a medical appointment, signing a lease, filing an insurance claim: these processes are increasingly handled through online platforms. The time savings are real, provided the tool is well designed.
Have you ever noticed that a poorly designed online form takes longer to complete than a phone call? Digitisation only improves a service when it makes the process easier. Adding a digital layer to a cumbersome administrative process simply shifts the complexity elsewhere.
Public services illustrate this point well. Administrative procedures have increasingly moved online, but supporting people with limited digital access remains a work in progress. Changing how people use services involves more than putting a form online: it also means providing training, ensuring accessibility and improving the quality of the interface.
- A three-screen form replaces a ten-page paper application, provided every field is clear and contextual help works properly.
- An electronic signature tool speeds up contract approval, but everyone involved must know how to use it.
- A delivery-tracking app reduces calls to customer service, provided notifications arrive at the right time with the right information.
Digital transformation in businesses and everyday life depends less on the power of technology than on how well it is integrated. European regulatory frameworks, from the Data Act to the AI Act, provide practical safeguards. The challenge in the years ahead is to make these tools genuinely accessible, including to the smallest businesses and people with the least digital access.
