Can you talk about the key stages in your career and what led you to place innovation and AI at the heart of your work?
I have a scientific and technical background, and it wasn’t really a choice. I’ve always been very curious to understand what technologies are used for. I needed to relate all the concepts I was studying to a concrete situation in order to understand them better and remember them better. This thirst for understanding the usefulness of technology led me to consider innovations solely in terms of their usefulness and impact, and of course their social and societal impact. For me, innovation only makes sense if it serves to improve everyday life, strengthen social ties and give meaning to transformation.
My career path has led me to explore different facets of technology, from research to innovation strategy, with one constant conviction: technology must serve humanity.
When artificial intelligence began to emerge as a major lever for change, I saw it not only as a technological challenge, but above all as a societal opportunity. AI, and even more so generative AI, is shaking up the way we think, create and collaborate, and that is precisely what makes it so exciting. My role today is to create the right conditions to transform this power into collective value and responsible progress.
You have been heading up La Poste Group’s Generative AI programme since May 2024. What are its main objectives?
La Poste Group‘s Generative AI programme has a clear ambition: to make generative AI a driver of efficiency, performance and trust in the service of our businesses and our customers.
It is based on two main pillars. Firstly, acculturation and transformation of practices by supporting all employees in discovering and adopting these new technologies in an ethical and secure manner; the pooling and industrialisation of solutions to provide a common base of generative AI tools and services that meet the needs of the Group’s various entities, while ensuring data control, regulatory compliance and the principles of transparency, fairness and moderation.
This programme is not just about technology. It reflects a cultural and organisational ambition to embed AI in the DNA of La Poste Group, serving people and the community.
What are the next steps in the transformation of work in the era of generative AI?
We are at a turning point where generative AI is profoundly transforming the nature of work. It is radically reshaping the way we learn and collaborate, and challenging our decision-making processes. The next steps involve moving from a phase of experimentation to one of sustainable integration.
Jobs will evolve towards human expertise and know-how combined with AI-enhanced capabilities. This means updating training and professional development programmes. Generative AI tools are becoming true cognitive partners, changing the way teams collaborate, create, design and make decisions. It also means establishing a clear framework for the responsible use of these technologies to ensure transparency, traceability and security in AI-assisted decisions.
In short, the transformation of work in the era of generative AI is not only about operational efficiency and productivity, but above all about meaning, ethics and trust.
You have long been committed to diversity in the digital sector. How are diversity and inclusion essential to building a society that is truly “United by Tech”?
Technology is never neutral: it reflects the vision, biases and values of those who design it. That is why diversity is a necessity, not an option.
A society that is “United by Tech” can only be built if technology reflects the plurality of our experiences and identities. Diversity and inclusion foster innovation, stimulate creativity and ensure that citizens’ needs are better represented.
In the field of AI, this diversity is even more crucial: it helps prevent certain algorithmic biases, builds trust and leads to truly equitable and universal solutions.
Promoting diversity and inclusion means ensuring that technology remains a tool for empowerment, not exclusion. It also means ensuring that creativity and performance are fuelled by a plurality of viewpoints.
AI needs diversity to be fair, useful and sustainable. And it is by combining our talents, experiences and cultures that we will build truly universal technology.
What do you think makes the JFD Club unique in embodying the spirit of “United by Tech”?
The JFD Club is unique because it combines inspiration, action and solidarity. Above all, it is a place of rare collective energy. It is an ecosystem where women entrepreneurs, scientists, leaders and young talents support each other to bring about a more inclusive and humane technology. It is a place where successes are shared, but also convictions and ambitions.
The network does not just celebrate women’s successes: it creates the concrete conditions for them to flourish, by promoting visibility, access to resources, funding and opportunities.
The JFD Club thus embodies the conviction that technology must unite by connecting energies, cultures and generations around a shared vision of progress and with the ambition of creating more open technology, where every voice counts.
Finally, if you had to sum up your vision of the future of AI and the place of women in that future in one sentence, what would it be?
The future of AI will only be human, inclusive and sustainable if women fully occupy their rightful place: that of architects of tomorrow’s digital world.
***
Fatiha Gas, Director of Innovation & Generative AI Programme at La Poste Group, and JFD Club Member
Fatiha Gas is an expert in innovation and strategic transformation working for La Poste Group.
Fatiha Gas joined La Poste Group in March 2022 as Director of Innovation in the Group’s Data/AI division. In this role, she is responsible for promoting the use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) within the group, leading a sub-working group on trusted AI, and developing strategic partnerships with key players in the field, such as INRIA. In this context, Fatiha Gas is responsible for acculturating teams to the various developments in AI technologies, preparing them to use AI and generative AI for greater day-to-day operational efficiency, and providing support in defining new use cases for AI. In the context of trusted AI, she has contributed to the finalisation of two grids, one for pre-filtering to classify AI systems according to the four axes defined by the European AI Act, and the other for self-assessment to determine the maturity of the system according to predefined axes such as the presence of bias, energy consumption or environmental impact. She also contributes to a working group at Hub France IA on the risks associated with generative AI. Since May 2024, she has been leading the Group’s Generative AI programme.
Fatiha Gas is also committed to promoting diversity and equality in the digital sector. She has served as vice-president of Club XXIème Siècle, and as a member of the board of directors of Entretiens de l’Excellence and the association Femmes Ingénieures. She was awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite in recognition of her work to promote diversity and attract young women to the digital sector.
