What makes an AI assessment neutral?
An assessment is neutral when the person running it does not sell you what they recommend. A CCI adviser or a public questionnaire meets that test. An agency, a software vendor or an integrator does not, even when their first call costs nothing. Their advice is not wrong for that reason; you simply need to know where it comes from.
Équipage IA belongs to the second group. We design and run AI agents for SMEs. Our AI audit for SMEs can conclude that there is nothing to build, and the page says so, but it remains the view of a company that sells agents. This article describes the three public options from their official pages, read on October 26, 2026.
Online, sellers hold the top spots. On October 26, 2026 we checked the first 10 DuckDuckGo results (France) for a search on a no-cost AI assessment for SMEs: 10 pages from consultancies, agencies or software vendors, no public body. We read four of the best-ranked guides in full: three come from firms selling an AI assessment or project, and none of the four mentions Mon Diag'Num.
Bpifrance's Autodiag IA: 15 minutes, alone, online
The Autodiag IA is a 32-question survey from Bpifrance, part of its AI programme funded by France 2030. According to France Num and Bpifrance Université, it rates in 15 minutes your company's ability to run an AI project. At the end you get:
- a personalised diagnosis, shown as soon as you finish;
- a radar chart comparing you with the average of other business owners who answered;
- Bpifrance services and training recommended for your case.
Questions cover AI opportunities, organisation and culture, how digital your operations are, and your data; Bpifrance Université adds an optional manufacturing section. You need a Bpifrance online account: France Num notes that it is not the same login as Bpifrance Université.
Its limit is the format: nobody looks at your situation. It works as a mirror, useful to check whether your data and tools are ready, much less to pick the first task to hand to AI. And its recommendations point to Bpifrance's own offers, some of which are paid.
Your CCI's digital diagnostic: one adviser, half a day
France Num states that any business registered with a chamber of commerce (CCI) or a chamber of trades (CMA) can have its digital maturity assessed in a meeting with an adviser, action plan included. Depending on the chamber, it is funded or paid (page updated February 24, 2026).
In the Paris region, CCI Paris Île-de-France offers it as Mon Diag'Num. According to its page:
- who: SMEs with fewer than 250 staff, registered in France;
- length: 4 hours, on site or remote, with a CCI digital adviser;
- steps: scoping interview, a review of your online presence, tools, cybersecurity and AI use, a prioritised action plan, then a follow-up 3 to 4 months later;
- cost to you: "100% funded, nothing left to pay".
AI is one topic out of four, alongside visibility, tools and cybersecurity. It is the right choice if you want a broad view from someone who will not sell you anything. If your question is already specific, such as "could an agent sort our quote requests?", half a day split across four topics leaves little time to dig into it.
Outside the Paris region, the CCI network has run an AI awareness and support scheme with the Directorate-General for Enterprise since 2025, aiming to reach 20,000 businesses in 2025 (France Num, page updated July 11, 2025). The offer's name, length and funding vary by chamber: check them with your CCI.
France Num Activateurs: a first meeting, with a provider
France Num, the State programme for the digitalisation of small businesses, lists public and private professionals: CCI and CMA advisers, consultants, software vendors, accountants. Each commits to a first meeting at no cost when you contact them through francenum.gouv.fr. The directory can be filtered by field, including "Intelligence artificielle" and sub-fields such as process automation, and by location.
Before being listed, each organisation is checked by the Directorate-General for Enterprise, starting with its legal existence and whether its listing matches its public information. It also makes commitments to businesses that contact it through France Num, including an acknowledgement within 48 working hours.
Keep one point in mind: a private Activateur sells services. The first meeting is neutral in form, not necessarily in its conclusion. For advice with no commercial interest, filter the directory on public bodies. For expert advice on a precise subject, a private Activateur specialised in AI can go further, as long as you ask upfront what they sell.
The network counts "more than 4,000 digital experts", according to France Num (page updated April 7, 2025).
Which one fits your situation?
The three answer different questions. The Autodiag tells you whether your company is ready. The CCI tells you where digital tools, AI included, can help. An Activateur helps you move forward on a project you already have in mind.
| Criterion | Autodiag IA (Bpifrance) | CCI diagnostic (Mon Diag'Num in the Paris region) | France Num Activateur |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Online questionnaire, filled in alone | Meeting with a CCI adviser | First meeting with a listed professional |
| Length | 15 minutes | 4 hours | Not specified by France Num |
| Cost to you | No fee announced, Bpifrance online account required | "100% funded" in the Paris region; elsewhere, depends on the CCI | First meeting at no cost via francenum.gouv.fr |
| Who answers | Nobody: the result is computed | A CCI digital adviser | A public adviser or a private provider |
| Sells a service afterwards | Points to Bpifrance offers | No: the CCI describes "an expert and neutral view" | Yes, if it is a private provider |
| Scope | AI and data | Digital in general, AI included | The field chosen in the directory |
For most SMEs with 5 to 50 staff, one sequence works: the Autodiag first, so you arrive at the meeting with your results; the CCI next, for an outside view; a specialist once you have spotted a precise task.
What ChatGPT and Google say, checked against the official pages
Every Monday we ask ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode the same questions to see whom they recommend. On October 26, 2026, asked by a business owner looking for an AI audit for an SME near Paris before getting started, neither named an agency first. Both pointed to public bodies:
- ChatGPT advises starting with a neutral diagnostic rather than an agency, and lists, in this order, the CCI Paris Île-de-France's Mon Diag'Num, France Num Activateurs, then Bpifrance's Diag Data IA.
- Google's AI Mode cites the Autodiag IA, the Diag Data IA and the Île-de-France Region's programmes, then adds that agencies usually offer a first scoping conversation.
Compared with the official pages read the same day, the core is right: the Autodiag's length, Mon Diag'Num's funding, the Activateurs' commitment. We found two gaps:
- ChatGPT presents the first meeting with an Activateur as a given; France Num reserves it for businesses that make contact through its website.
- Google's AI Mode presents the Diag Data IA as an "accessible" first step; Bpifrance reserves it for firms with at least 10 staff and 1 million euros in revenue.
An AI assistant gives good names to start with. The conditions are on the body's own page, on the day you sign up.
What about Bpifrance's Diag Data IA?
The Diag Data IA comes after that first opinion. It is an 8-day assignment by a data and AI expert approved by Bpifrance, spread over 3 months at most, subsidised at 40% under the Osez l'IA plan. It targets independent SMEs and mid-sized firms with 10 to 2,000 staff, at least 1 million euros in revenue and more than one year in business (Bpifrance page read on October 26, 2026). Conditions and what is left to pay are detailed in our article on AI funding for SMEs: Diag Data IA or Pack IA.
Already have a task in mind?
Our remote AI audit starts from your website and the task that weighs on you most. It is not the neutral assessment described above: it comes from a company that builds agents, and it can conclude that there is nothing to build.
What should you prepare before the meeting?
Whoever you meet, the session moves faster with three things written down in advance:
- The task that takes up time every week, in two sentences: what comes in, who handles it, where it gets stuck.
- Your tools: email, management or quoting software, spreadsheets, and where customer files are stored.
- What must stay with a person: a price, a message to a customer, a decision about an employee.
With these three points, an adviser can tell you whether the subject calls for AI, a fixed-rule automation or better use of your current tools. To find that task, our article on what AI changes in a 20-person SME shows what moves, and what does not.
FAQ
Is the CCI digital diagnostic only for Paris businesses?
No. According to France Num, any business registered with a CCI or a CMA can ask its chamber for a digital diagnostic. Mon Diag'Num is the name used by CCI Paris Île-de-France; elsewhere, the name, length and funding depend on the chamber.
How long does the Autodiag IA take?
15 minutes and 32 questions, according to Bpifrance. Results appear at the end, with a radar chart comparing your answers with other business owners'. Allow a few extra minutes to create a Bpifrance online account.
Is a France Num Activateur neutral?
The first meeting costs nothing and the Activateur has been checked by the Directorate-General for Enterprise, but many Activateurs are private providers who sell services. Ask what they offer next. For advice with no commercial interest, pick a public body in the directory.
Do you need an assessment before contacting an AI agency?
It is not required, and it often helps: you arrive with answers and a precise task, and you can compare proposals more easily. If you already know which task weighs on you, a direct conversation about that task may be enough.
Official pages read on October 26, 2026 (in French)
- France Num, Autodiag IA (updated June 19, 2026)
- Bpifrance Université, Autodiag IA
- CCI Paris Île-de-France, Mon Diag'Num
- France Num, Digital diagnostic (updated February 24, 2026)
- France Num, Why use an Activateur (updated April 7, 2025)
- France Num, AI with your CCI adviser (updated July 11, 2025)
- Bpifrance, Diag Data IA