McKinsey Consultants Cut PowerPoint Use as AI Hubs Replace Decks for 70-Person Projects
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jun 10
McKinsey Consultants Cut PowerPoint Use as AI Hubs Replace Decks for 70-Person Projects
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jun 10
Summary
McKinsey consultants are shifting project management out of PowerPoint and into AI-assisted websites, with one engagement manager replacing weekly decks on a roughly 70-person client project.
The new hub was built to solve version-control problems and make research, visuals and next steps searchable in one place, reducing disconnects between engineers, product owners and executives.
Using McKinsey-approved tools and Cloudflare access controls, the team packages dozens of HTML files into interactive pages, updates them in real time, and generates a podcast-style weekly summary and memo.
Kate Smaje, McKinsey's global technology and AI leader, said PowerPoint use has dropped massively within months as consultants "vibe-code" with AI and use slides more as final output than a daily workspace.
McKinsey says AI is speeding consulting's early problem-solving cycle from a "week one answer" to an "hour one answer," as the firm expands beyond the 25,000 AI agents its CEO cited earlier this year.
If AI now performs the core analysis, what are clients paying for when they hire a McKinsey consultant?
Does McKinsey's push for 'hour one answers' risk sacrificing the deep thinking that leads to breakthrough strategy?
How McKinsey Cut Research Time by 30%: The AI Transformation Reshaping Consulting Beyond PowerPoint
Overview
McKinsey is transforming its traditional, PowerPoint-centric workflows by adopting advanced AI-powered systems, with its proprietary platform Lilli at the center of this change. This shift is designed to empower employees with AI superpowers, freeing them from repetitive tasks so they can focus on more impactful work. By intentionally redesigning workflows, McKinsey aims to deliver greater value to clients and achieve meaningful business impact. The integration of generative AI is fundamentally changing both internal operations and client engagement, marking a significant step in how consulting value is created and delivered.