McKinsey’s AI Agents replace 5000 consultants: Watch out Indian tax, advisory firms

• McKinsey employees have new co-workers: they are 12,000 AI agents.
• What used to take 14 consultants? Now, needs just 2–3 people plus some AI agents.
• 25% of their projects are now outcome-based, meaning fees paid on outcomes, not hours (WSJ!)
• McKinsey is stepping into niche arenas like leadership development dominated by boutique firms.

AI at McKinsey’s core: Meet Lilli

Lilli, the “AI colleague”, was launched firm-wide in July 2023.

Think of her as a McKinsey-trained GPT, powered by over 100 years of the firm’s proprietary insights.