BRINGING OUR BEST INSIGHTS TO THE DAY’S NEWS
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Brought to you by Alex Panas, global leader of industries, & Becca Coggins, global leader of functional practices and growth platforms
Welcome to the latest edition of Only McKinsey Perspectives. We hope you find our insights useful. Let us know what you think at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Becca_Coggins@McKinsey.com.
—Alex and Becca
In the news. With the right guardrails, AI-based tools could make mental health care more personal, effective, and accessible. According to the American Psychological Association, clinicians are using a range of tools—from brain scans to data from mobile devices—to treat patients more precisely, even as their symptoms shift. Continuous monitoring could even trigger support from evidence-based therapy chatbots in between visits, which could enable care that’s better suited to people’s lives and needs. [APA]
On McKinsey.com. The world has long underinvested in brain health, say McKinsey’s Erica Coe, Jacqueline Brassey, Kana Enomoto, and Lucy Pérez. In their report, a McKinsey Health Institute collaboration with the World Economic Forum, they explain that building “brain capital”—the combination of brain health and brain skills that underpins adaptability and long-term performance—is foundational to companies’ talent and innovation strategies, given that almost 60 percent of the workforce will likely need upskilling by 2030. Learn more about the five levers for activating brain health and how they can raise both human and economic potential.Invest in brain capital
In the news. Data centers’ need for electricity continues to grow, and along with it, the strain on the US power grid’s reliability. The Wall Street Journal reports that some utilities are concerned that the current infrastructure can’t keep up with demand, both current and future, and are looking for workarounds to reduce blackout risks. Meanwhile, technology companies warn that requirements to power down could disrupt critical cloud services and undermine the certainty of data center investments. With trillions of dollars of AI-driven capital investment at stake, one study found that data centers that create their own electricity sources and agree to disconnect during peak times could connect to the grid years faster than others. [WSJ]On McKinsey.com. Amid constant disruption, infrastructure resilience is increasingly central to economic growth—particularly in emerging markets. Research from McKinsey’s Alfonso Natale, Cristina Catania, Daniel Pacthod, and Thomas Poppensieker (in collaboration with the World Economic Forum) finds that few companies are prepared. In the 2025 Resilience Consortium Pulse Check Survey, just one in four organizations says it can manage disruptions across resilience dimensions. With a range of challenges looming, such as gaps between infrastructure needs and expected spending that could reach $15 trillion by 2030, public–private partnerships are critical. The authors note four strategic priorities for the next phase of global resilience, including strengthening physical infrastructure and supply chains and accelerating upskilling by expanding digital public infrastructure.Build resilience to grow
In the news. Supply chains that were built for post–Cold War efficiency are being reshaped by geopolitics and industrial policy. As The New York Times notes, global trade is becoming more fragmented, regional, and selective. New partnerships and trade patterns are taking shape, and while everyday products still move at scale, strategically sensitive inputs face tighter controls and are more exposed to disruptions. According to one economics professor, the main supply chain challenge—more so than reducing costs or improving overall resilience—is ensuring that critical goods move reliably and securely. [NYT]On McKinsey.com. The trade-related pressures companies face are showing up most clearly in their manufacturing footprints. McKinsey’s Liz Hempel, Mike Conway, Mike Doheny, and Shubham Singhal examine how geopolitics, industrial policy, and cost shifts are changing where production should take place—and how exposed different industries are to disruption-related risks. Their research analyzes 188 performance indicators across sectors and found wide variation in the likelihood of disruption, with some industries facing far more immediate pressure to adapt their supply chains. Companies that build visibility beyond tier-one suppliers and treat footprint design as a continuous capability—rather than a one-time move—are better positioned to build resilience amid ongoing disruption.Prepare for the next disruption
—Edited by Christian Johnson, executive editor, Washington, DC
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