AI in HR & recruiting: 7 real deployments

Codifying AI literacy as an explicit entry-level hiring criterion for the 2027 junior investment banking intake, expecting applicants to already use AI for research, modelling, and first drafts and to recognize model errors

McKinsey plans to deploy AI agents to help match its nearly 40,000 consultants to client engagements, analyzing consultant skills, availability, and past engagement performance to supplement professional development staff.

Implemented Project Organization Transformation to replace 10-20-person teams with 3-5-person AI-native teams; executed 10% layoff wave in May before halting the planned November second wave

Reported: 10% layoff cut in May executed; 20-30% of engineers on infra and product teams reassigned to data labeling and AI training

Used AI adoption dashboards and token consumption metrics to evaluate employee performance, labeling workers as 'AI Native', 'AI First', or 'AI Enabled'

Deploying AI store manager Luna to monitor employee attendance and make personnel recommendations

Reported: Recommended firing employee after 17 of 23 shift no-shows

MetLife monitors call center agents' voice tone with emotion-recognition AI, part of a wave of workplace emotion AI deployments that scientists call oversimplistic and methodologically flawed and that the EU has banned under its AI Act.

Health system Providence used IBM's AI consulting platform in its hiring workflows, reported as a customer result at IBM Think 2026.

Reported: 90% reduction in time spent on hiring steps and 70% improvement in job-request accuracy