McKinsey tests AI client simulation in entry-level interviews

The next client a McKinsey hopeful pitches may not technically exist. The consulting firm plans to have some entry-level candidates hold a 10-minute conversation with an AI simulation of a client during their interviews, according to The Wall Street Journal. The twist is that the software will not grade anyone. Humans stay in the room and decide how each candidate performed. McKinsey has handed AI the role of the client, not the role of the judge. How the AI interview works The pilot targets undergraduate candidates applying for entry-level business analyst roles. Those jobs come with a starting salary of $128,000, so the stakes for applicants are hardly trivial. The program starts this fall in North America. It is currently part of the recruiting process for hundreds of candidates in the region, not the firm’s entire global applicant pool. Each candidate gets roughly 10 minutes with an AI avatar built to play a client. The exercise is meant to mirror an ordinary conversation between a consultant and the business paying for advice. McKinsey partner Saleem Zafar said the avatar covers approximately 80% of the interactions consultants usually have. What the bot will not do is lose it...