AI has quickly moved into a central role in everyday work life. Companies are investing billions of dollars in the technology, workers are adjusting to new tools, and leaders are redesigning workplace roles and processes to take advantage of new capabilities.
What does it all mean for workers, and how can organizations support them as they navigate this new landscape? Building human capabilities could help, but doing so depends on strengthening the health and performance of the human brain.
During a recent McKinsey Live event, McKinsey Health Institute leaders Erica Hutchins Coe, Jacqueline Brassey, and Kana Enomoto discussed the growing significance of brain capital, outlined five ways to build it, and identified several ways for senior executives to take a “brain-positive” approach to leadership:
- In a changing world, human capabilities are increasingly important. As AI continues to reshape work, qualities such as judgment, creativity, adaptability, resilience, and collaboration become top priorities. But with the global economy already losing an estimated 12 billion working days each year to mental health challenges,1 investing in brain health and brain skills will be essential if AI is to strengthen workforce performance and productivity.
- Brain capital is a strategic economic asset. Investment in the brain—inclusive of brain health and brain skills—is critical for individuals, organizations, and societies to thrive in a changing world. Chronic stress, burnout, and poor mental health can prevent people from developing the skills they need to thrive.
- Five levers can help strengthen brain capital. While there is no silver bullet, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, McKinsey experts determined that building brain capital requires contributions from diverse actors across multiple dimensions, including safeguarding brain health; fostering brain skills; and studying, investing in, and mobilizing for brain capital.
- AI value will be constrained by human capacity, not technology. Leaders are racing to scale AI, but their people are starting to burn out—today, about one in five employees reports burnout symptoms. The most forward-thinking leaders are considering how work should be redesigned so that AI and humans can complement each other.
- Leaders can create AI-powered workplaces. Leaders can measure the organization’s energy and capacity to handle workload and transformation, then follow five core principles:
- Calibrate cognitive load. As AI changes the nature of work, balance cognitively demanding tasks with lower-intensity work.
- Protect cognitive capacity. Ensure that people have sufficient opportunity for recovery and preserve the energy people need to perform at their best.
- Enable focus. Create intentional space for concentration, deep work, and sound judgment.
- Build adaptive brain skills. Continuously develop the capabilities people need to thrive alongside AI.
- Create a brain-positive environment. Shape systems, spaces, and cultures that support brain health and performance.
1 “Mental health at work,” World Health Organization fact sheet, September 2, 2024
