VivaTech 2026: What the AI Race Means for Talent

I recently attended VivaTech 2026, the 10th year of Europe’s largest tech event. I went with two aims – to see the latest technology and more importantly, to understand what companies are really looking for when hiring. The event made one thing clear: the AI race is already reshaping talent priorities.

The theme this year, “Impact, Not Illusion,” set the tone. It pointed to technology that should be judged on real, demonstrable results rather than the hype and inflated promises the sector so often trades on

The bigger picture: AI as the main disruptor

The size of the event, with more than 180,000 attendees, is a sign of technology’s centrality to the global economy. AI was everywhere – every pavilion, every pitch and every nervous conversation about job security. The conversations around the “Business Redefined Arena” made the point plainly: AI is no longer just a tool. It is becoming a colleague, a competitor and in some cases, a replacement. It’s moving the talent conversation from novelty to deployment, and from generative models to AI agents that can run complex workflows and make decisions once left to people.

First-hand, I have seen that the roles we are asked to fill are changing fast. Demand for prompt engineers is giving way to demand for AI orchestrators, governance specialists and leaders who can bring these AI “employees” into human teams. The point is not humans against machines. It is humans with machines and the talent to manage that mix that are now hardest to find.

Humanoid robots move closer to the mainstream.

Further into the exhibition, I spent time with several humanoid robots. These were not the clumsy machines of a few years ago. They were capable, well-engineered and close to mass production, marking a shift from concept to something more tangible.

The conversation around them has matured from novelty to economics. As production scales and costs fall, these machines are moving from costly research projects towards everyday tools. Large language models have given them real range, letting them follow context, hold a conversation and adapt to different situations with a fluency that would have seemed unlikely only a few years ago. That makes the case for why they matter now, not just why they impress.

I spoke with the founders of a firm building a humanoid for eldercare, designed as a companion rather than a household helper. It could assist with daily tasks, but its real value was in keeping watch. It could detect a fall, start a conversation to assess what had happened, and, if needed, contact emergency services.

The developers were honest about the limits. The system is impressive but not yet reliable. In busy public spaces, with loud background noise and unpredictable movement, the robots still struggle. Even so, the direction was clear. That progress suggests that, within 10 to 15 years, machines like these will be a normal part of daily life rather than a novelty.

What the exhibitors are actually looking for

The real value at VivaTech lies in the conversations, which reveal what companies are actually hiring for. Moving between stands, I spent time with founders, HR leads and scale-up executives, listening to the hiring challenges on their minds for the year ahead.

One of the most notable stands belonged to Publicis Groupe, which is fitting given that VivaTech was co-founded by Maurice Lévy, who led the group in 2016. Publicis showcased how the large communications groups are rebuilding themselves around AI. The message was that the agency model of the future rests less on headcount and more on combining human creativity with machine efficiency. That same logic carried through the wider floor and, for those of us in communications and public affairs recruitment, points to the profiles that will lead the sector: people who can speak to both the boardroom and the algorithm.

The wider floor told the same story. The demand is no longer just for engineers who can build AI, but for commercially astute leaders who can sell it, position it and explain it to a sceptical board. Across sales and marketing roles, that means rising demand for Chief Revenue Officers and VP Sales who pair strong technical understanding with the ability to open enterprise doors. The CMO of tomorrow has to be as comfortable reading a data pipeline as shaping a brand story. Several exhibitors were frank about the problem: the pool for this hybrid profile is thin and competition for it is fierce.

Coffee with Ava Zekri of Nvidia

One of the most memorable moments came over a coffee with Ava Zekri, Head of Government Affairs at Nvidia. Nvidia needs little introduction. Its chips sit behind much of the current AI boom and its presence at VivaTech was hard to miss.

What stood out was how important public affairs and government relations have become inside the largest tech companies. As AI becomes a matter of national strategy, with governments from Paris to New Delhi writing the rules, the ability to navigate the corridors of power is now a competitive advantage rather than a sideline skill. The executives who shape the AI era will not only build the technology. They will also explain it to policymakers, regulators and the public, making influence part of the talent equation.

That is where we come in. At Hanson Search, we have spent years building the networks and market knowledge that let us find and attract candidates who are genuinely rare. VivaTech 2026 highlighted the need for it more urgently because the AI race is now a talent race.

Whether you’re hiring senior talent or considering your next career move, our team would be delighted to support you.

Hanson Search Group is a global talent consultancy providing executive search, recruitment and leadership advisory services. Built on more than twenty years of trusted relationships, we operate as a connected global platform of specialist practices with expert consultants embedded in key markets.