Consulting Firms Shift Focus to Measuring AI's Actual Value

McKinsey, PwC, EY, and BCG race to quantify how AI is impacting productivity and freeing up time for higher-value work.

Published on Feb. 18, 2026

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After rapidly deploying AI agents across their operations, top consulting firms like McKinsey, PwC, EY, and BCG are now shifting their focus to measuring the actual value and impact of these AI tools. Rather than just tracking adoption metrics, they are now looking to quantify how AI is improving productivity, boosting revenue, and freeing up consultants to focus on more strategic work. Consultants say the industry is moving from an "age of confusion" around AI's value to a more disciplined approach of targeting specific "impact zones" and carefully tracking key performance indicators.

Why it matters

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in the consulting industry, there is growing pressure to demonstrate the tangible business benefits. Firms that can effectively measure and communicate AI's value will be better positioned to justify continued investment and adoption. This shift also reflects a broader industry trend of moving beyond AI hype and focusing on practical applications that drive measurable results.

The details

Consulting firms have rapidly deployed AI agents across their operations in recent years, with McKinsey CEO Bob Sternfels saying the firm has launched tens of thousands of internal AI agents. However, insiders say the industry is now grappling with how to quantify the actual value these AI tools are providing. Rather than just tracking adoption metrics, firms are now focused on measuring improvements in productivity, revenue, and the ability of consultants to focus on higher-value work. PwC's chief AI officer Dan Priest said the firm is less concerned with the number of agents deployed and more focused on how many human users each agent has and the specific "impact zones" they are targeting. EY tracks the value created by its AI agents through KPIs for productivity, quality, and cost efficiency. Boston Consulting Group measures how much time its employees are able to reclaim from low-value activities and reinvest into deeper analysis and strategic work.

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The players

Bob Sternfels

CEO of McKinsey & Company, which has launched tens of thousands of internal AI agents in recent years.

Mina Alaghband

Former McKinsey partner and current chief customer officer at Writer, a full-stack enterprise AI platform.

Dan Priest

Chief AI officer at PwC, which is focused on measuring the human adoption and specific "impact zones" of its AI agents.

Steve Newman

Global engineering chief at EY, which tracks the value created by its AI agents through productivity, quality, and cost efficiency KPIs.

Scott Wilder

Partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group, which measures how much time its employees can reclaim from low-value activities and reinvest into higher-value work.

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What they’re saying

“I think we are now in the age of confusion.”

— Mina Alaghband, Former McKinsey partner, current chief customer officer at Writer (Business Insider)

“When we deploy agents, we want to see a high rate of human adoption, which means more humans are using them.”

— Dan Priest, Chief AI officer at PwC (Business Insider)

“It's benefiting them — and this is a tough job, so every hour of free time matters.”

— Scott Wilder, Partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group (Business Insider)

The takeaway

As consulting firms move beyond the initial hype and adoption of AI, they are now focused on rigorously measuring the actual business value and impact of these technologies. This shift reflects a maturing industry that is seeking to justify continued AI investment by demonstrating tangible improvements in productivity, revenue, and employee work-life balance.