The McKinsey Podcast How the best CEOs are meeting the AI moment
53 snips
Jan 22, 2026 
Eric Kutcher, a senior partner at McKinsey North America, dives into the complex transformation that AI represents for CEOs, emphasizing that it’s 80% business change. He highlights the need for firms to reimagine processes to truly realize AI's potential and advocates for hands-on learning among CEOs to boost their AI fluency. Kutcher discusses the evolving organizational roles and the importance of fostering a customer-centric approach. He encourages ambition in execution while fostering continuous learning and community building within teams.
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AI Is Mostly Business Transformation
- AI is primarily a business transformation, not just a tech upgrade.
- Eric Kutcher says it is '80 percent business transformation and 20 percent tech.'
Family Examples Show Rapid Adoption
- AI adoption has exploded across ages and households almost overnight.
- Eric Kutcher recounts his wife and son using LLMs for travel planning and exam prep as examples.
Set A Bold North Star Before Deploying Tech
- Define a clear North Star and articulate how the organization should look in five years.
- Use bold objectives to mobilize functions rather than only deploying technology and hoping value appears.