McKinsey adds an AI client to job interviews

Some entry-level McKinsey candidates will hold a 10-minute conversation with a simulated AI client, per The Wall Street Journal.

McKinsey & Company is adding an AI-simulated client to part of its hiring process. Some entry-level candidates will have a 10-minute conversation with the simulation during interviews, according to The Wall Street Journal.

How it will work

The simulated client is designed to reflect around 80 percent of the scenarios McKinsey consultants typically face in their day-to-day work, according to the report. It is explicitly not meant to imitate an unreasonable or erratic client.

Importantly, the AI does not grade candidates. Human interviewers will be present to watch how candidates handle the simulated situation and make the assessment themselves.

The tool is being tested this fall with undergraduates applying for business analyst roles in some North American offices, and hundreds of candidates may encounter it. McKinsey is not the only company experimenting here; several startups are building AI avatars and simulations for job interviews.

Why it matters for builders

This is a useful model for responsible AI in high-stakes decisions: the AI creates a realistic, consistent scenario, while people make the judgment. That split reduces some risks of automated scoring, such as hidden bias or unexplained rejections, while still gaining the benefit of standardized practice situations.

For product builders, simulations are a growing category. Role-play agents can be used for sales training, customer support onboarding, negotiation practice, medical communication and language learning. The hard parts are scenario design, keeping the character consistent, and giving users useful feedback afterwards.

For candidates, the practical advice is simple: treat the simulated client like a real one. Ask clarifying questions, structure your thinking aloud and summarize next steps. Practicing with a general assistant such as ChatGPT, by asking it to play a client with a specific business problem, can help you get comfortable with the format.

AI video avatar tools such as HeyGen and Synthesia, used in many simulation products, are listed in our AI Video category.

Source: The Verge. This article is PickAI’s own summary and analysis based on the original reporting.