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The article explores how “agentic AI” — software that plans, learns, acts, and adapts independently — is reshaping business and what CEOs must do to lead effectively in this new era. Many companies are struggling to move beyond early experimental use of generative AI toward scaled, enterprise-wide value. McKinsey argues that leaders need to reimagine their organizations around agent-first workflows rather than seeing AI as incremental tooling and must act with urgency to capture competitive advantage as the technology matures.
CEOs should set bold strategic goals, commit to rapid learning, and make decisions around technology architecture, trust, governance, talent, and scaling capabilities sooner rather than later. They also need to enable everyone in the organization to become “agent leaders” capable of working with and supervising autonomous systems. McKinsey highlights that successfully integrating agentic systems will require a fundamental transformation of operating models, talent development, and decision rights to realize step-change productivity and innovation. Firms that wait risk being left behind as agentic AI continues to evolve and reshape industries.
