Overview
- McKinsey has rolled out a North America pilot that puts undergraduate business-analyst candidates through roughly 10-minute conversations with an AI avatar playing a client.
- The software acts only as the client and does not grade applicants; human assessors in the room retain sole authority over hiring decisions.
- Partner Saleem Zafar, who helped build the tool, said the ‘‘mayor’’ scenario was designed to mirror about 80% of common consulting challenges candidates would face.
- The pilot complements earlier 2026 moves such as the Lilli generative-AI tool and free AI practice tools, forming part of a broader push to integrate AI into McKinsey’s recruiting.
- McKinsey argues the simulation standardizes the client role to help make behavior-focused comparisons, but questions remain about scaling the program and how well short simulations map to real consulting work.