McKinsey released a report analyzing why many companies aren't seeing returns on their AI investments, arguing that agents are the key to unlocking its impact by reimagining business processes rather than just automating tasks.
The firm identifies a “genAI paradox,” noting that nearly 80% of companies use the tech, but a similar number report almost no material impact on earnings.
McKinsey says companies largely use general-purpose AI tools, which make improvements that are hard to measure and don’t show up in financial results.
The company argues that success requires enterprises to rebuild processes around agents rather than inserting them into already existing workflows.
The report concludes the shift is a leadership challenge, calling to end broad “experimentation phases” and drive more strategic, top-down transformations.
Almost every company is trying to implement AI, but few are likely willing to redesign operations completely for a new AI-driven world. While some firms may spend millions on copilots, they might find themselves leapfrogged by competitors who are willing to take the organizational leap and embrace agent-based systems.