Employees started the year more ready to adopt gen AI than their leaders. And the technology itself continued to build momentum, developing at a striking pace. But while nearly all companies have invested in AI, few have seen tangible benefits—the so-called gen AI paradox. As we move into 2026, companies have the opportunity to advance beyond incremental gains from copilots, chatbots, and other reactive, gen AI–based tools. The best are acting now to transform workflows, functions, and, ultimately, their entire organizations by onboarding AI agents to work side by side with their people.
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/year-in-review#artificial-intelligence
