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McKinsey Just Dropped Their 2025 AI Report — Here’s What It Really Means

Insight

→

McKinsey Just Dropped Their 2025 AI Report — Here’s What It Really Means

Insight

→

McKinsey Just Dropped Their 2025 AI Report — Here’s What It Really Means

Insight

→

McKinsey Just Dropped Their 2025 AI Report — Here’s What It Really Means

Insight

McKinsey Just Dropped Their 2025 AI Report — Here’s What It Really Means

90% of companies “use AI,” but only a handful are seeing real business results. The difference? Routines — not hype.

McKinsey 2025

Published

November 10, 2025

Kristian Luoma
Kristian Luoma
Kristian Luoma

Kristian Luoma

, Co-founder

kristian@in-parallel.com

Linkedin ↗

Contents

Introduction

What the Leaders Do Differently

Why Routines Are the Missing Link

From AI Theater to AI Rhythm

The Takeaway

Contents

Introduction

What the Leaders Do Differently

Why Routines Are the Missing Link

From AI Theater to AI Rhythm

The Takeaway

The AI Reality Check

McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 report is clear:
AI is everywhere — 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, up from just 20% in 2017.

But behind the headlines, there’s a quiet truth: most of it isn’t working.

  • 67% of organizations are still stuck in “pilot mode.”

  • 62% are experimenting with AI agents, but only 23% have scaled them.

  • 64% say AI drives innovation, yet only 39% see measurable profit impact.

  • 51% have already seen AI backfire, often due to bad data or unclear processes.

AI adoption is mainstream — but transformation isn’t.

Most companies are still in what McKinsey calls “corporate AI theater.”

For the full McKinsey report, please see: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai


The AI Reality Check

McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 report is clear:
AI is everywhere — 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, up from just 20% in 2017.

But behind the headlines, there’s a quiet truth: most of it isn’t working.

  • 67% of organizations are still stuck in “pilot mode.”

  • 62% are experimenting with AI agents, but only 23% have scaled them.

  • 64% say AI drives innovation, yet only 39% see measurable profit impact.

  • 51% have already seen AI backfire, often due to bad data or unclear processes.

AI adoption is mainstream — but transformation isn’t.

Most companies are still in what McKinsey calls “corporate AI theater.”

For the full McKinsey report, please see: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai


The AI Reality Check

McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 report is clear:
AI is everywhere — 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, up from just 20% in 2017.

But behind the headlines, there’s a quiet truth: most of it isn’t working.

  • 67% of organizations are still stuck in “pilot mode.”

  • 62% are experimenting with AI agents, but only 23% have scaled them.

  • 64% say AI drives innovation, yet only 39% see measurable profit impact.

  • 51% have already seen AI backfire, often due to bad data or unclear processes.

AI adoption is mainstream — but transformation isn’t.

Most companies are still in what McKinsey calls “corporate AI theater.”

For the full McKinsey report, please see: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai


The AI Reality Check

McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 report is clear:
AI is everywhere — 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, up from just 20% in 2017.

But behind the headlines, there’s a quiet truth: most of it isn’t working.

  • 67% of organizations are still stuck in “pilot mode.”

  • 62% are experimenting with AI agents, but only 23% have scaled them.

  • 64% say AI drives innovation, yet only 39% see measurable profit impact.

  • 51% have already seen AI backfire, often due to bad data or unclear processes.

AI adoption is mainstream — but transformation isn’t.

Most companies are still in what McKinsey calls “corporate AI theater.”

For the full McKinsey report, please see: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai


What the Leaders Do Differently

What the Leaders Do Differently

McKinsey identifies a small group of outperformers — roughly 6% of organizations — that are pulling ahead.

They’re not winning because of better models. They’re winning because of better systems.

  1. They rebuild workflows, not just automate them.
    They don’t tack AI onto old processes. They redesign how work gets done from the ground up.

  2. They think in growth loops, not tasks.
    The goal isn’t just efficiency — it’s compounding learning and better decisions.

  3. They fund AI like strategy, not side projects.
    No endless pilots. They commit, iterate, and operationalize.

  4. Their leaders are hands-on.
    When executives personally use AI in their own routines, they’re 3× more likely to scale it successfully.


Why Routines Are the Missing Link

Why Routines Are the Missing Link

At In Parallel, we believe the real bridge between AI and impact isn’t technology — it’s routines.

Work shouldn’t depend on memory or willpower.
Most managers spend their days trying to remember what was said, who’s doing what, and whether anything actually happened after the meeting. Context lives across Slack threads, docs, and calendars — and by midweek, everyone’s already rebuilding the same picture of reality.

That’s not a lack of discipline. It’s that management itself hasn’t evolved.

AI routines change that.

They connect AI to your existing ways of working — your meetings, projects, and tools — and quietly create the connective tissue your organization is missing.

Before a meeting, AI routines surface the key updates and context you need.
During, they capture decisions and next steps automatically.
After, they follow up, update plans, and keep everyone aligned — without another status meeting.

Every routine compounds what your team learns.
It builds shared memory. It reduces mental load. It transforms coordination from chaos into clarity.

That’s how AI stops being a side experiment — and starts becoming a system that runs your business.


From AI Theater to AI Rhythm

From AI Theater to AI Rhythm

The McKinsey data shows that even as AI agents become mainstream, few companies have rewired how work actually flows.

Routines are how you get there.
They turn meetings into momentum.
They let leaders lead instead of chase updates.
They make AI something your team feels — not just something the CIO reports.

It’s not about a transcriber that remembers what was said.
It’s about a management system that remembers what matters — the decisions, dependencies, and progress that drive your strategy forward.


From AI Theater to AI Rhythm

The McKinsey data shows that even as AI agents become mainstream, few companies have rewired how work actually flows.

Routines are how you get there.
They turn meetings into momentum.
They let leaders lead instead of chase updates.
They make AI something your team feels — not just something the CIO reports.

It’s not about a transcriber that remembers what was said.
It’s about a management system that remembers what matters — the decisions, dependencies, and progress that drive your strategy forward.


The Takeaway

The Takeaway

AI adoption is easy.
AI transformation is hard.
Routines make it doable.

They give teams rhythm, not just automation.
They connect AI to reality — the messy, human, collaborative work that actually makes companies move.

If you’re ready to move from pilots to performance, start with a routine.

👉 Let’s design your first AI routine.
Book a 20-minute conversation →

The Takeaway

AI adoption is easy.
AI transformation is hard.
Routines make it doable.

They give teams rhythm, not just automation.
They connect AI to reality — the messy, human, collaborative work that actually makes companies move.

If you’re ready to move from pilots to performance, start with a routine.

👉 Let’s design your first AI routine.
Book a 20-minute conversation →




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