AI For Real

Tag: employment

  • Want a job at McKinsey? You may first have to hold your own with an AI avatar

    Want a job at McKinsey? You may first have to hold your own with an AI avatar

    McKinsey is introducing an artificial intelligence (AI) avatar that plays the role of a client in some entry-level consulting interviews, as the elite advisory firm experiments with new ways to assess how candidates handle real-world business problems.

    The Wall Street Journal reports the pilot, being rolled out this autumn for some undergraduate applicants in North America, involves a 10-minute conversation with a computer-generated client while human interviewers observe how candidates respond to questions and changing circumstances.

    The avatar is designed to simulate the types of conversations consultants encounter when advising businesses and public-sector organisations, including clients who challenge recommendations or demand further explanations.

    In one scenario, candidates may face a mayor seeking advice on a major development project, requiring them to explain their reasoning, respond to questions and adapt their recommendations as the discussion unfolds.

    The exercise is intended to test candidates’ ability to think on their feet, communicate clearly and engage with clients, rather than simply deliver rehearsed answers to conventional interview questions.

    Human interviewers remain responsible for evaluating candidates, with the AI avatar acting as a simulated client rather than independently scoring applicants.

    The move reflects a broader shift in recruitment as employers explore ways to assess candidates through simulations of workplace situations, rather than relying exclusively on traditional interviews and academic credentials.

    McKinsey already uses a gamified assessment called Solve to test problem-solving skills among applicants for many consulting positions, while its recruitment process can include personal experience interviews and business case exercises.

    The firm has also developed AI tools to help candidates prepare for interviews, reflecting the growing role of artificial intelligence in its own work and the skills it expects future consultants to develop.

  • Cognizant’s AI Hiring Push Shows How New Jobs Could Emerge As Old Ones Change

    Cognizant’s AI Hiring Push Shows How New Jobs Could Emerge As Old Ones Change

    For years, one of the biggest fears surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) has been simple: if machines can do more of the work, what will people be left to do?

    A recent move by Cognizant offers a different way of looking at the question.

    The technology services company says it plans to hire 1,500 US college graduates and expand two new roles, called Frontier Certified Engineers and Frontier Business Operators, to a combined 15,000 people.

    These are jobs that are emerging specifically because companies are trying to put AI to work.

    The example is important because it shows that AI does not only replace existing tasks. It can also create demand for people who know how to build, manage, check and apply AI systems.

    As businesses adopt these tools, they need employees who understand both the technology and the business problems it is supposed to solve.

    Cognizant says one of its teams recently redesigned an account-management process for a food-service company using 17 AI agents, saving account managers around 11 hours a week.

    That does not necessarily mean the account managers became unnecessary. Instead, some of their routine work was taken over by AI, potentially leaving more time for work that requires judgement, communication and decision-making.

    But there is another side to the story. A company announcing thousands of new AI-related positions does not prove that AI will create enough jobs to replace every job it disrupts.

    Some roles will almost certainly shrink or disappear, particularly where work consists largely of repetitive and predictable tasks. And not everyone whose job changes will automatically have the skills needed for the new positions.

    That is why the more useful question for graduates may not be whether AI will take jobs or create jobs. It is how quickly the nature of work will change, and whether education and training can keep up.

    Cognizant says it has already trained more than one million people through its global skilling programme and now aims to reach two million by 2030.

    For graduates entering the workforce, the lesson is neither to fear AI nor to assume it will solve the jobs problem. The safer bet is to understand how AI works, learn how to use it, and develop the human skills that remain difficult to automate.

    What do you have to say about this? Do write in the “Comments” section.

  • AI Adoption Surges In Public Sector: Report

    AI Adoption Surges In Public Sector: Report

    Public-sector employees are now using AI at rates that rival the private sector, with Gallup reporting that 43% of government workers engaged with AI tools in late 2025 — a dramatic rise from just 17% in mid-2023.

    This surge highlights a rapid closing of the technology gap between government and business, despite longstanding challenges in recruiting technical talent and navigating stricter governance frameworks.

    The study shows that while private-sector employees still lead in frequent AI use (25% vs. 21%), public-sector workers surpass them in occasional use (22% vs. 16%). This balance puts government slightly ahead in overall adoption. Analysts attribute the growth to the accessibility of generative AI tools, which require little specialized training, allowing employees to experiment independently.

    Crucially, the report emphasizes that managerial support is the decisive factor in whether AI experimentation becomes routine. In public-sector organizations with strong leadership backing, 65% of employees use AI frequently, compared with only 37% in low-support environments. The findings suggest that leadership strategies — not just technology access — will determine whether AI adoption translates into lasting productivity gains.

    Challenges Remain

    Despite the rapid rise in AI adoption across the public sector, Gallup’s study points out several persistent challenges. Government agencies continue to face difficulties in attracting and retaining technical talent, which limits their ability to fully integrate advanced AI systems. Strict governance and compliance frameworks also slow down experimentation compared to the private sector. Moreover, without strong managerial support, many employees remain hesitant to move beyond casual use of AI tools, leaving productivity gains unevenly distributed. These hurdles suggest that while adoption is accelerating, the path to sustainable and transformative AI use in government still requires deliberate investment in leadership, training, and policy innovation.

    Click here to read the report.