Accenture has told senior staff that promotions will now depend on how much they use artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily work. The company sent emails to associate directors and senior managers saying that moving into leadership roles will require “regular adoption” of AI tools. In short, if you don’t use AI, you may not get promoted.
This push comes as Accenture, like Microsoft, Google, and Meta, shifts strongly toward an AI-driven future. At the India AI Impact Summit, Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture, reportedly said companies must reinvent how they operate and reshape their workforces to keep up with AI.
The company has already laid off 11,000 workers it believed could not be reskilled for AI roles, spending $2 billion on severance in the past three years.
Now, it plans to track employee use of its in-house AI platforms, including one called AI Refinery, built with NVIDIA. By monitoring log-ins and activity,
Accenture will know who is actually using AI at work.
Not all employees are affected. Staff in 12 European countries and those working on US government contracts are exempt because of local rules and restrictions. It is also unclear whether entry-level workers will face the same requirement in the future.
Accenture’s move is part of a wider industry trend. In June 2025, Microsoft told employees that “using AI is no longer optional.” Managers were asked to include AI usage in performance reviews, and CEO Satya Nadella reportedly warned executives to leave if they did not support the company’s AI plans.
Clearly, AI adoption has now come to be a condition for career growth.
