133 Q UA RT E R _ 0 2 _ 2 0 2 6 providing that guidance requires solid reporting, but only about 15 percent of boards currently receive AI-related metrics. Boards should have access to impact measures such as ROI by busi ness unit, percentage of processes that are AI enabled, resilience indicators (such as override rates and backup drill results), workforce-reskilling progress, and regulatory alignment. This kind of valuable, goal-oriented detail helps reframe AI strategic direction and oversight in a similar way to capital allocation and risk reviews. - 6. Build AI fluency. Directors do not need to be data scientists or deep-tech experts, but they do need to have a sufficient understanding of how AI works and its role in creating opportunities and risks for the business. Building up that base of knowl edge happens through ongoing education, regular briefings, external trainings, advisory panels, and input from external experts on emerging technolo gies, regulations, and risks. Board members should become as comfortable as possible with AI by using it often in their personal lives, to prepare for meet ings, to review publicly available information, and to run analyses on proprietary information only in ways approved by the general counsel. - - - As boards consider what steps to take, they might consider some of the operating practices for venture capital and private equity companies. Those companies typically have a clearer view and focus on the value opportunities with AI, stronger accountability measures, and a faster operating metabolism, such as with funding decisions. The rules, risks, and expectations related to AI are evolving rapidly, and boards cannot assume today’s practices are sufficient to meet the new challenges and opportunities. Boards will need to evolve to match the pace and scope of change that AI promises while maintaining their tradi tional focus of providing strategic direction and oversight to senior management to create value and mitigate risk. - » Aamer Baig is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Chicago office, Ashka Dave is a partner in the Detroit office, Celia Huber is a senior partner in the Bay Area office, and Hrishika Vuppala is a senior partner in the Southern California office. » The authors wish to thank Danesha Mead, Nina Spielmann, Rebecca Schechter, and Sankalp Gowda for their contributions to this article. JU S T _ S U P E R / G E T T Y I M A G E S RELEVANT READING CEOs trying to incorporate agentic AI across the organization navigate a world of uncertainty. Employees can be more focused on fears about the technology than on its potential. Investors expect companies to move fast, but most organizations haven’t seen significant bottom-line impact. Scaling gen AI use cases has been tough. ‘The change agent,’ on McKinsey.com, focuses on the key decisions to be made and how CEOs can address them knowledgeably. A sample timeline suggests reasonable markers of progress over two or three years. An agentic transformation is a leap into new ways of managing and organizing a company. For almost every CEO, the agentic organization is still uncharted territory. “The change agent” offers a road map.