McKinsey & Company is rapidly redefining what a modern workforce looks like, with artificial intelligence now playing a central role in how the consulting giant operates. The firm currently counts more than 25,000 AI agents alongside over 40,000 human employees, bringing its total workforce to above 60,000. According to McKinsey CEO Bob Sternfels, this transformation is still in its early stages.
Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Sternfels said the company plans to ensure that every human employee is supported by at least one AI agent. He described the expansion as a major productivity push, noting that McKinsey’s use of AI agents has grown from only a few thousand to nearly 25,000 in less than two years.
In a recent episode of Harvard Business Review’s IdeaCast, Sternfels said the firm expects that within the next year and a half, every employee will be “enabled by at least one or more agents.” A McKinsey spokesperson later confirmed this figure to Business Insider.
Unlike basic chatbots, AI agents operate as autonomous systems. They can deconstruct complex problems, design workflows, execute tasks and deliver outputs with limited human input. At McKinsey, these agents now assist with research, data analysis, document drafting and client deliverables, work traditionally handled by junior consultants.
Sternfels said the deployment of AI agents forms part of what he calls the company’s “25-squared” model. Under this approach, McKinsey is expanding client-facing roles by about 25 per cent while reducing non-client-facing positions by roughly the same margin. As a result, the firm has already seen its non-client workforce shrink by around a quarter, even as productivity in those functions has increased by about 10 per cent.
The efficiency gains are significant. Sternfels said AI agents helped McKinsey save 1.5 million work hours over the past year by handling routine research and synthesis. In one example, the agents produced 2.5 million charts in just six months, allowing consultants to focus on higher-value tasks such as strategy, judgment and client engagement.
Despite these shifts, Sternfels emphasized that AI is not replacing people where it matters most. He said humans continue to hold a clear advantage in setting aspirations, applying judgment and exercising genuine creativity.
Still, the implications for jobs are difficult to ignore. As McKinsey integrates AI deeper into its operations and adjusts hiring criteria, it joins other major companies, including Amazon, that are aggressively using machine intelligence to boost efficiency while steadily reshaping the role of human labor.
Related Readings:
