Graduate applicants vying for a coveted role at the elite consulting firm McKinsey & Company must now prove their ability to work alongside artificial intelligence. The company has integrated an "AI interview" into the final stages of its selection process for some candidates, marking a significant shift in how top-tier employers assess future talent.
The AI-Powered Interview Process
According to insights from CaseBasix, a US-based firm that coaches candidates for strategic consulting roles, selected final-round applicants in the United States are being asked to complete practical tests using McKinsey's proprietary AI tool, named Lilli. During this assessment, candidates are presented with a realistic business scenario akin to actual consulting work.
Instead of working in isolation, they are required to collaborate with the Lilli chatbot, using it to explore information, structure their thinking, and refine their insights. The objective is not to test advanced technical knowledge of AI but to evaluate how effectively a candidate can use the technology as a "productive thinking partner."
"In the McKinsey AI interview, you are expected to prompt the AI, review its output, and apply judgment to produce a clear and structured response," CaseBasix noted. The firm emphasised that the focus is squarely on collaboration and reasoning, mirroring how consultants might guide junior team members.
A Growing AI "Workforce" in Consulting
This recruitment innovation aligns with McKinsey's broader embrace of artificial intelligence. In 2024, Microsoft announced that McKinsey would be an early adopter of its Copilot Studio project, which develops autonomous AI agents capable of handling client queries and identifying sales leads.
McKinsey's global managing partner, Bob Sternfels, revealed the scale of this integration in an interview with the Harvard Business Review's IdeaCast. He stated that the firm now operates a "workforce" of 20,000 AI agents alongside its 40,000 human staff. This move positions AI not as a mere tool but as a core component of the firm's operational capacity.
The AI interview forms part of a trio of final assessments, which also include evaluations of problem-solving and structured thinking, as well as personal impact, leadership, and values. The Financial Times was first to report on Lilli's use in business school graduate recruitment, though McKinsey itself has declined to comment on the process.
The New Imperative for Job Seekers
This development signals a decisive trend in the professional services sector and beyond. Competence with AI is rapidly transitioning from a niche skill to a fundamental hiring requirement for elite graduate schemes. UK recruitment specialists warned of this shift last year, telling The Guardian that an affinity for AI was becoming crucial for candidates.
Other major corporations, including the law firm Clifford Chance and the retailer Pets at Home, are also participating as initial users in Microsoft's autonomous AI agent project, suggesting this transformation will soon be widespread. For today's graduates, demonstrating the ability to harness, question, and collaborate with AI may be just as important as traditional analytical and interpersonal skills.
The integration of Lilli into McKinsey's recruitment is more than a novel test; it is a clear indicator that the future of work in consulting—and many other knowledge-based industries—will be fundamentally shaped by human-AI partnership.
