March 16, 2026 Accenture has told employees that proficiency with the company’s artificial intelligence tools will be required for promotion. The policy reflects the consultancy’s shift to integrate AI into daily workflows across its global workforce.
CEO Julie Sweet said employees seeking advancement must demonstrate they are using the tools the company relies on to operate its business.
“If you want to get promoted, you’ve got to do the things that we do to operate Accenture. These are the new tools to operate a company,” Sweet said on the Rapid Response podcast.
The expectation comes after several years of investment aimed at embedding AI across the organization. In 2023, Accenture launched a three-year US$3 billion plan to expand its AI capabilities and train employees to work with the technology.
The initiative includes hiring, acquisitions and internal training designed to grow the company’s AI workforce to 80,000 professionals. Accenture currently employs more than 770,000 people worldwide.
The company has also funded broader workforce transformation efforts. In September 2025, Accenture said it spent more than US$865 million on a six-month business optimisation programme that included reskilling employees and adjusting staffing as new technologies were adopted.
Sweet compared the shift to earlier technological transitions in the workplace, such as the adoption of computers. In her view, AI tools are becoming a standard part of how modern companies operate.
“No one would have said that requiring someone to use a computer is coercion. It’s how the companies were going to get work done. Today, AI at Accenture is how we do work,” Sweet said.
She also noted that organizations often struggle to adopt AI effectively when it is layered on top of existing workflows rather than integrated into how the business operates.
“First of all, I think we’re a good lesson in something that I’m advising CEOs all about: To capture the opportunity with AI, you really have to be willing to rewire your company,” she said in an earlier interview.
Despite the emphasis on automation and AI skills, Accenture says it continues to hire new graduates and entry-level workers globally, including more early-career roles this year than last.
