Your AI agents need performance management, too

Your AI agents need performance management, too

Author: McKinsey People & Organizational Performance August 26, 2026 Duration: 29:51

Agents: Everybody’s got them. But who’s managing them? And what happens to the human talent working alongside them—and being asked to show up differently as a result? “The rise of AI doesn’t mean we all suddenly devolve our responsibilities for quality control and critical thinking,” says Kate Smaje, McKinsey’s global leader of technology and AI and coauthor of the recent book Rewired. “That’s not the world we live in. There’s a premium on those capabilities now.” In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Smaje joins Senior Partner Brooke Weddle and Partner Bryan Hancock, along with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to discuss what leading through the AI moment means for the relationship between people and technology, including ways of working; costs, benefits, and risks; and the need for open dialogue about the question, “Why AI?”

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Hosted by McKinsey People & Organizational Performance, McKinsey Talks Talent is a series of conversations for anyone tasked with building and guiding teams through constant disruption. Rather than offering abstract theories, this podcast grounds itself in the practical realities leaders face today, from government policy shifts to rapid technological adoption. Regular hosts and talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock sit down with a range of globally recognized practitioners and thinkers. Their discussions dig into the tangible aspects of transformational change, leadership development, and the nuanced work of actually placing people at the center of strategy. Each episode moves beyond simply diagnosing challenges to explore how organizations can genuinely leverage their workforce as a durable source of advantage. You’ll hear specific ideas on navigating the evolving social contract of work, reshaping organizational design, and fostering the agility needed in modern business. It’s a resource for executives, managers, and policymakers who understand that the most complex questions in today’s landscape are ultimately human ones. Tune in for grounded perspectives that connect talent directly to performance and resilience.
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