After 11,000 Layoffs, Accenture introduces new rule making AI usage mandatory for senior staff promotions and leadership growth

After laying off 11,000 employees, Accenture now ties AI usage to senior staff appraisals, making artificial intelligence adoption mandatory for leadership promotions in a major corporate policy shift.

Accenture has added artificial intelligence usage as a requirement for senior employees hoping to be promoted to managerial positions, employees familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. This isn’t the first time Accenture has signaled its intention to move into AI: it also laid off over 11,000 employees last year as it looked to reshape its workforce.

Accenture Tells Managers: Use AI or Miss Promotion Opportunities

Accenture has sent notice to senior managers and associate directors that continued promotions to manager roles will be impacted if they fail to use artificial intelligence(AI) on a regular basis going forward.

Accenture Says ‘AI Use Mandatory’ for Employee Promotion

The mandate follows more than 11,000 layoffs over the last year as Accenture aims to transition employees into a workforce focused on AI and automation. In October of last year, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet explained that employees laid off from the company would not be retrained but rather”exited” if they couldn’t be reskilled into AI-related positions.

Accenture had been pushing thousands of employees through its Own Anthem platform to learn about AI. Despite training hundreds of thousands of employees on AI-related skills, there was pushback from senior management about using the technology, according to a report from Bloomberg. By making AI usage a factor in promotions, Accenture is making a stronger push about adoption moving forward.

Senior employees who do not demonstrate “regular adoption of AI capabilities and tools will be ineligible for promotion to manager and above,” reads an internal document viewed by Bloomberg.

Also read: Your career vs artificial intelligence: Microsoft study names 40 jobs that may not survive beyond 2026

Accenture Employees Must Use AI Regularly to be Eligible for Promotion

Additionally, Accenture will track employee use weekly by how often they log into certain AI-focused technologies such as Accenture’s own AI Refinery tool.

Employees in certain groups will be exempt from tracking and mandates due to contractual or regulatory requirements.

Accenture will expect employees to actively use AI tools as part of their everyday work. This includes using AI for automation, analytics, client work and internal workflows.

Accenture Tells Employees: Learn AI Tools or Get Left Behind

Accenture joins other tech companies like Microsoft and Alphabet (Google) who have made similar pushes in recent months for employees to learn about AI or be left behind. Accenture is requiring employees to use AI technologies if they want to be promoted within the company This came after the company laid off thousands of workers last year and said it would transition employees into more tech-focused roles.

Microsoft launched similar internal AI training courses last year and told employees they would be expected to learn about AI or risk negative performance reviews.

AI technology skill sets are quickly becoming requirements for jobs as companies integrate AI into their workflows.