Accenture links promotion prospects to employees’ use of AI

Accenture, the world’s largest consulting firm, is linking the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace to internal promotions.

The Dublin-based multinational told senior executives that they needed to demonstrate “regular adoption” of AI to advance to executive roles, and began collecting data on how often certain employees logged on to AI tools each week.

According to the Financial Times, which first reported the story, Accenture told staff in an email that “use of our key tools will provide a visible input into the talent conversation.”

An Accenture spokesperson said the company strives to be the “reinvention partner of choice” for its clients, adding: “We need to implement the latest tools and technology to most effectively serve our clients.”

One Accenture staff member told the FT that he would “quit immediately” if he was affected by the surveillance program. Another official described the company’s internal tools as a “broken slop generator.”

Accenture previously said it had trained 550,000 of its 780,000 employees in generative AI, up from just 30 in 2022.

Among the tools whose usage will be monitored may be Accenture’s AI Refinery.

Julie Sweet, CEO of the company, previously said the tool “creates opportunities for businesses to reimagine processes and operations, discover new ways of working, and scale AI solutions across the enterprise to drive continuous change and create value.”

Demand for AI services led Accenture to report better-than-expected results in the December quarter. During a major company-wide reorganization last June, as part of our AI strategy, our Strategy, Consulting, Creative, Technology, and Operations departments were combined into a single division called Reinvention Services.

Sweet told investors in September that the company would “retire” employees who don’t get the hang of using AI in the workplace.

In December, Accenture announced a partnership with OpenAI, owner of ChatGPT, and Anthropic, owner of its rival Claude AI chatbot.