FRThe observatory of Frontier Firms
Be Frontier Firm is a non-profit association tracking the rise of Frontier Firms in France — organizations built on collaboration between people and AI agents — and maintaining the Frontier Score® and Frontier Tech Score assessment frameworks, open to all.
return on investment vs slow adopters
business functions using AI on average
of employees say their company is thriving
What is a Frontier Firm?
According to Microsoft, 2025 marks the birth of the Frontier Firm — the moment companies moved beyond AI experimentation to rebuild around it.
Phase 1 — The Assistant
AI acts as an assistant, removing drudgery and helping teams work faster and better.
Phase 2 — The Digital Colleague
AI agents join teams as digital colleagues, taking on specific tasks under human direction.
Phase 3 — Orchestration
Humans set direction, agents run entire business processes, checking in as needed.
Seamless Integration
AI integrates naturally into the flow of human ambition.
Democratized Innovation
Everyone is empowered to build AI agents — innovation comes from everywhere.
Total Observability
Governance, security, and compliance embedded at every layer.
Why now?
The gap between companies that embrace AI and those that wait is widening every day. Frontier Firms don't just use AI — they reinvent themselves around it.
82% of leaders say 2025 is the pivotal year to rethink strategy and operations with AI (Microsoft WTI 2025).
Frontier Firms report 4x better outcomes in growth (88%), cost efficiency (86%), and customer experience (85%).
81% of leaders expect moderate or extensive agent integration within the next 12-18 months.
80% of the global workforce reports lacking the time or energy — AI is the only answer at scale.
How the observatory works
A continuous 4-step cycle, fueled by the organizations that take our assessment frameworks across France.
Collection
Executives and CIOs assess their organization with the Frontier Score® and the Frontier Tech Score — free and fully confidential.
OngoingAggregation & Analysis
Results are anonymized and aggregated to reveal the major trends in the AI transformation of French organizations.
QuarterlyPublication
The association publishes its analyses: the Frontier Firms barometer, maturity indicators, sector notes, and best practices.
YearlySharing & Community
Debriefs, workshops, and working groups let members compare their practices and progress together.
All year longOur charter
Independence, confidentiality, and public interest. The association sells neither consulting nor software: its work serves the community. Individual results remain confidential — only aggregated, anonymized statistics feed the observatory's publications.
One association, four missions
Observe
Track the evolution of Frontier Firms in France: maturity levels, practices, obstacles and accelerators, based on aggregated, anonymized data from our frameworks.
- Frontier Firms barometer
- AI maturity indicators
- Sector trends
Assess
Develop, maintain, and defend two assessment frameworks open to all: the Frontier Score® for executives and the Frontier Tech Score for CIOs.
- Frontier Score® (executives)
- Frontier Tech Score (CIO / CTO)
- Cross-radar executive × technical
Spread
Promote AI adoption within organizations and share the Frontier Firm model through education, publications, and events.
- Guides & publications
- Conferences & workshops
- Technology watch
Connect
Bring together a community of executives, CIOs, and practitioners who share their experience of human-agent collaboration.
- Membership open to all
- Working groups
- Experience sharing
Insights & Resources
What is a Frontier Firm? The complete guide
Discover the Microsoft concept that redefines the modern enterprise around AI and agents.
Read moreThe 3 phases of Frontier Transformation
From assistant to orchestration: understanding the key stages of AI transformation.
Read moreMicrosoft Copilot: beyond productivity
How Copilot becomes the foundation of human-agent collaboration in the enterprise.
Read moreWant to contribute to the observatory?
Membership, working groups, partnerships, or a simple question: the association will get back to you.