Accenture signage during the 2026 CES event on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Bridget Bennett Bloomberg | Getty Images
Accenture told senior staff that they needed to use AI tools regularly to be considered for promotion to leadership roles.
The FT reported that associate directors and senior managers at the consulting giant were told that they would need “regular implementation” of AI to advance to leadership positions.
An Accenture spokesperson told CNBC that the report is accurate. He added: “Our strategy is to be our clients’ preferred reinvention partner and the most client-focused, AI-enabled place to work.
“To serve our clients most effectively, we must implement the latest tools and technology.”
The spokesperson also confirmed that the policy is set out in an internal email, as reported by the FT.
“Use of our key tools will provide a visible input into the talent debate,” the email said, according to the FT.
The FT reported that Accenture staff in 12 European countries, as well as staff working in departments that handle US government contracts, were not affected by the policy.
Accenture outlined its restructuring strategy in September, saying staff who cannot be retrained in AI will eventually be let go.
CEO Julie Sweet said on the earnings call that all employees are expected to undergo extensive “retraining and reorganization,” adding that 550,000 employees have already been retrained in the fundamentals of generative AI. Accenture employs a total of 780,000 people worldwide.
“Our No. 1 strategy is upskilling. We have a lot of experience in upskilling, given the skills that are needed. We’re trying to get people out of the workforce so that they can acquire more of the skills they need within a very compressed timeline with no viable path to upskilling,” Sweet added.
“The initial investment in AI is really paying off,” Sweet told CNBC at the time.
“Every CEO, every board, every executive recognizes that advanced AI is critical to the future,” he said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” “The challenge they’re facing right now is that they’re so excited about the technology, but it’s still not ready for most companies.”
Accenture has announced a series of partnerships and tools in recent months. Accenture partnered with OpenAI in December to provide tens of thousands of employees with access to ChatGPT Enterprise and continue to upskill their AI.
Accenture also partnered with Anthropic to train 30,000 employees on the Claude AI tool and enable tens of thousands of Accenture developers to use Claude Code for their coding and AI-assisted work.
Other business includes partnering with Palantir to enable more than 2,000 Accenture staff to receive AI training using the software company’s platform.
