IA, digital sovereignty and talent: the role of 42 Lausanne

AI a break in method

When the public mention "AI", they are really talking about generative AI solutions. But behind this media hype lies a long history: from expert systems to neural networks, from Machine Learning to AlphaGo, right through to the "transform" models that now orchestrate AIs capable of generating new content.
And always the same constant in these various technological developments: each technological advance increases the demand for human skills. Companies adopting AI are not looking to reduce tech talent, they are looking to attract more.

The impact of AI on learning: a new educational contract

The 42 network was quick to measure the impact of generative AI in education: it speeds up tasks, but slows down deep learning if it intervenes too early.
That's why, after welcoming it with open arms in 2023, we have chosen, from the summer of 2024, to strongly advise against it in the early stages of the curriculum, in order to preserve a solid understanding of the fundamentals. On the other hand, AI is fully integrated into development projects, where it becomes a lever for innovation. While Machine Learning and Deep Learning projects have existed since 2016 in the specialisation phase, since September 2025, the core curriculum (first part of the course) includes prompt engineering, the deployment of an open-source LLM (Large Language Model like Mistral), the development of RAG solutions (Retrieval Augmented Generation, which provides a reference information base for an LLM), and then agents calling the APIs of different AIs. This pedagogical evolution. This pedagogical evolution reinforces our mission: to train in tech in its entirety, cultivating problem-solving, collaboration, structured creativity and cognitive elasticity, all of which are essential in an ever-changing world.

A complementary response to the academic system

The current transformation requires new training models. 42 Lausanne responds to three key needs.

• Widening access to talent
  Free training, with no diploma required and flexible, open to a variety of profiles and adapted to the rapid changes in tech.

• Facilitating continuing education
  In a world where skills are changing fast, 42 offers an agile pedagogy, based on concrete projects, for lifelong learning.

• Supporting businesses
  Upgrading skills, innovation and recruitment: 42 Lausanne helps organisations integrate AI and develop their teams.
  
  With every technological breakthrough, prophecies of the disappearance of tech professions resurface. And yet, demand is exploding. Some tasks will be automated, yes. But the core of tech jobs is shifting towards analysis, architecture, design, security and interaction with AI. The need is not disappearing. It's shifting. And this shift is creating a gap that only agile training can fill.

Skills that will really count tomorrow

AI reinforces the value of human skills, which are needed to co-construct solutions for users with technological tools. This is why the 'soft skills' developed during the 42 curriculum are increasingly important

• Ability to work in a team

• Be creative to invent solutions that don't exist

• Curiosity in the face of the multiplication of technologies

• Solution-oriented and resilient in the face of problems and failures

• High adaptability, i.e. working on brain elasticity

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is not just transforming technology : It is redefining the way we learn, work and innovate. Faced with this acceleration, training models need to evolve.

42 Lausanne is part of this dynamic by training profiles capable of adapting, understanding the challenges and actively contributing to the transformations underway.

In this context, one question is imperative: where to train talents capable of thinking and creating with AI, rather than undergoing it?

At 42 Lausanne, we have made this question our compass.