Bob Sternfels, the Global Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company, discussed the firm's integration of artificial intelligence and leadership strategies during a McKinsey Unpacked webcast.
The shift signals a fundamental change in how global consulting firms structure their workforce. By incorporating AI agents into its operational model, McKinsey is attempting to scale expertise and productivity in a manner that could redefine professional services.
Sternfels used the session to address the current wave of organizational transformation and how leaders can navigate the transition. A central part of this evolution is the firm's expanding digital workforce. According to some reports, McKinsey now has 60,000 employees [1], while other sources place the human employee count at 40,000 [3].
Within this workforce, the firm has integrated 25,000 AI agents [2]. While McKinsey suggests this count serves as a metric of success, some industry rivals said the number of AI agents is not a valid measure of success [4].
This digital expansion follows recent strategic partnerships aimed at scaling enterprise impact. On April 22, 2026, the firm launched the McKinsey Google Transformation Group [5]. This initiative is designed to help organizations implement AI across their operations during the current era of technological disruption.
Sternfels focused on the next generation of talent, noting that the role of the consultant is evolving. The integration of AI is not intended to replace human judgment but to augment it, allowing the firm to handle larger volumes of data and more complex organizational problems. He said the goal is to share the firm's perspective on how leaders can best manage these shifts in a volatile market.
“McKinsey has integrated 25,000 AI agents into its workforce.”
McKinsey's adoption of thousands of AI agents represents a pivot from traditional human-capital-only scaling to a hybrid model. By blending a massive digital workforce with a strategic partnership with Google Cloud, the firm is positioning itself as both a practitioner and a provider of AI transformation. The disagreement among rivals regarding AI agent counts suggests an emerging industry debate over how to measure productivity and value in the age of generative AI.
