25,000 out of 60,000 employees are AI agents in McKinsey, CEO reveals

AI

• McKinsey now uses 25,000 AI agents alongside 40,000 human employees
• AI agents handle complex tasks and are integrated into daily consulting work
• AI-related projects now make up 40 percent of McKinsey's business

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McKinsey is quietly turning into a very different kind of company. According to a recent report by Business Insider, the global consulting giant now uses around 25,000 AI agents, alongside about 40,000 human employees. That means more than a third of its total workforce is no longer human.

The numbers were shared by McKinsey & Company CEO Bob Sternfels, who has been speaking openly about how deeply artificial intelligence is changing the firm. On a recent episode of Harvard Business Review IdeaCast, Sternfels said McKinsey’s total workforce now stands at around 60,000. Of these, roughly 20,000 were AI agents at the time of the recording. Just days later, while speaking at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, he clarified that the number is actually closer to 25,000. McKinsey later confirmed this figure to Business Insider.

What makes this shift striking is how fast it has happened. Sternfels said that just a year and a half ago, McKinsey was using only a few thousand AI agents. Now, the firm expects that within the next year and a half, every employee will be working with at least one AI agent in their daily job.

These AI agents are not simple chatbots. They are designed to handle tasks on their own, break down complex problems, create plans, and take action without constant human input. At McKinsey, they are increasingly woven into everyday consulting work, from research and analysis to building tools for clients.

A big part of this push is led by QuantumBlack, McKinsey’s AI arm, which has about 1,700 people. According to senior partner Alex Singla, AI-related work now makes up around 40 percent of the firm’s business.

McKinsey is not alone. Firms like Boston Consulting Group and PwC are also moving beyond traditional slide decks and advice, and toward long-term AI-driven projects. These firms are hiring people who can think like consultants and technologists at the same time, and who are comfortable working alongside AI.

AI is also changing how McKinsey makes money. Sternfels said the firm is slowly moving away from classic fee-based consulting. Instead, it wants to partner more closely with clients, helping shape business plans and sharing responsibility for the outcomes.

In short, McKinsey is no longer just a consulting firm powered by people. It is becoming a hybrid organisation, where humans and AI agents work side by side, reshaping what consulting looks like in the age of artificial intelligence.