Accenture has made a shocking announcement today and has laid off a large workforce. The company announced that if anyone wants to be in senior leadership, they will have to get better at using AI tools on a regular basis. The company's associate directors and senior managers received the news in an email, the Financial Times reported. The mail states that AI adoption is not only encouraged – it is now a big part of how you move forward.
Accenture was straight forward when they said, “If you're not using AI, good luck getting a promotion.”
Comes after 11,000 layoffs
This comes just after Accenture laid off nearly 11,000 people over the past few years. The company found that many of those jobs could not be converted to AI-centric work. It's not as if these cuts were cheap, with Accenture spending nearly US$2 billion on severance packages alone. Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, CEO Julie Sweet didn't mince words: Companies will have to reinvent the way they work and transform their teams to remain competitive in the age of AI.
AI Refinery to track usage
To keep track of who is actually using AI at work, Accenture plans to monitor log-ins and activity on their internal tools like AI Refinery – their platform built with NVIDIA to help rethink business operations with artificial intelligence. They will use this data to see which employees are actually incorporating AI into their daily routines.
However, not everyone is under the microscope. Employees in 12 European countries and those working on US government contracts are off the hook, due to regulations and contract details.
Industry-wide AI push
Accenture is not the only company that is working so hard on AI. Microsoft told employees that using AI is no longer optional from 2025. Satya NadellaMicrosoft's CEO wants everyone to be involved in the company's AI direction. Google's Sundar Pichai has warned that employees who shun AI will be left behind, and Meta is also tracking how much its people are using AI. Across the industry, more than 100,000 IT jobs have disappeared last year at companies like Amazon, TCS, Infosys and Accenture as AI-powered productivity takes off.
So, what does all this mean for employees?
Knowing your way around AI is becoming increasingly important, especially if you want to climb the ranks. Entry-level people at Accenture haven't been impressed yet, but it's quite clear that AI skills will shape hiring and promotions throughout the IT world.