OUR BEST IDEAS FOR THE C-SUITE

Welcome to the latest edition of the CEO Shortlist, a biweekly newsletter of our best ideas for the C-suite. This week, we offer our latest research on the tantalizing promise of agentic AI. We appreciate the opportunity to connect and hope you find our perspectives novel and insightful. You can reach us at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Axel_Karlsson@McKinsey.com. Thank you, as ever.

—Alex and Axel

The story of agentic AI is still unfolding. The majority of CEOs have yet to see bottom-line value from AI agents. But there’s no question that the pace and potential scope of change are breathtaking. While we’re waiting for the technology to fully mature, CEOs can take advantage of this “trough of disillusionment” to understand the implications for how their companies operate, make some essential decisions, and get a jump on their competitors. 

A year into the agentic AI revolution, one lesson is clear: It takes hard work to do it well. We recently dug into more than 50 agentic AI builds we’ve supported, as well as dozens of others in the marketplace. Six lessons have emerged. Here’s one that may surprise you: Agents aren’t always the answer. 

We hope you find these ideas helpful. See you in a couple of weeks with more McKinsey ideas for the CEO and others in the C-suite.

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