Optimists, pessimists—who’s right? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Humayun Tai, partner Mekala Krishnan and global editorial director Lucia Rahilly discuss new research that takes stock of the physical realities shaping our trajectory toward net zero, as well as what needs to happen to address these challenges—and hasten progress—successfully.

In our second segment, we hear about how to improve the CEO–board relationship with senior partner Celia Huber, from our CEO Insights series.



Theme music composed and performed by Joy Ngiaw

See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Optimists, pessimists—who’s right? On this episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast,</a> McKinsey senior partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/humayun-tai">Humayun Tai</a>, partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/mekala-krishnan">Mekala Krishnan</a> and global editorial director Lucia Rahilly discuss <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/the-hard-stuff-navigating-the-physical-realities-of-the-energy-transition">new research</a> that takes stock of the physical realities shaping our trajectory toward net zero, as well as what needs to happen to address these challenges—and hasten progress—successfully.
In our second segment, we hear about how to improve the CEO–board relationship with senior partner Celia Huber, from our <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/locations/mckinsey-client-capabilities-network/our-work/strategic-and-change-communications/the-communications-exchange">CEO Insights series</a>.
 
Theme music composed and performed by Joy Ngiaw
See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

The McKinsey Podcast, our new flagship podcast series, takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey & Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

The McKinsey Podcast features conversations with experts from global management-consulting firm McKinsey & Company, focusing on the issues that matter most in business and management.

The McKinsey Podcast

Our flagship series The McKinsey Podcast takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey & Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

Our flagship series The McKinsey Podcast takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey &amp; Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

A net zero reality check

Nearly half of all paid work hours are tied to physical tasks, from moving and making things to inspecting equipment and transporting goods. Today, much of that work remains beyond the reach of traditional automation. Physical AI could begin to change that, expanding the range of tasks machines can perform reliably, safely, and economically. That means more than robots that can outpace Usain Bolt; it means intelligent, adaptable systems that “sense, decide, and act based on the physical world around them,” according to McKinsey Senior Partner Mark Patel. And that physical world is “full of corner cases.”

On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Patel and McKinsey Partner Ani Kelkar join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to explain what physical AI looks like, where it could create value, and what leaders should know now to begin taking advantage of its potential for impact.

The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.

This episode has been adapted from our McKinsey Live webinar series.

Nearly half of all paid work hours are tied to physical tasks, from moving and making things to inspecting equipment and transporting goods. Today, much of that work remains beyond the reach of traditional automation. Physical AI could begin to change that, expanding the range of tasks machines can perform reliably, safely, and economically. That means more than robots that can outpace Usain Bolt; it means intelligent, adaptable systems that &ldquo;sense, decide, and act based on the physical world around them,&rdquo; according to McKinsey Senior Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/mark-patel">Mark Patel</a>. And that physical world is &ldquo;full of corner cases.&rdquo;
On this episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>, Patel and McKinsey Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/ani-kelkar">Ani Kelkar</a> join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to explain what physical AI looks like, where it could create value, and what leaders should know now to begin taking advantage of its potential for impact.
The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.
This episode has been adapted from our <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-live/webinars/physical-ai-the-hidden-value-pools-leaders-are-missing">McKinsey Live webinar series</a>.

The hidden value of physical AI

What happens when AI agents can reason through problems well enough to complete real work on their own? This episode of The McKinsey Podcast offers answers to that question and more from OpenAI’s chair Bret Taylor, who is also cofounder of Sierra—which helps some of the world’s biggest companies build sophisticated AI agents, including about 40 percent of the Fortune 50. Taylor speaks with Eric Kutcher, McKinsey senior partner and chair of North America, about where AI is already reshaping customer service, sales, and software engineering; why open-weight models will always have a place despite the frontier labs’ cost advantage; and why he thinks the data center buildout—despite its real financial risk—is a bet the US needs to make. 

In this recurring series on The McKinsey Podcast, Kutcher speaks with top CEOs about the practice of leadership.

The McKinsey Podcast is regularly cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.

 

What happens when AI agents&nbsp;can reason through problems well enough to complete real work on their own?&nbsp;This episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>&nbsp;offers answers to that question and more from OpenAI&rsquo;s chair Bret Taylor, who is also cofounder of Sierra&mdash;which helps some of the world&rsquo;s biggest companies build sophisticated AI agents, including about 40 percent of the Fortune 50.&nbsp;Taylor speaks with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/eric-kutcher">Eric Kutcher</a>, McKinsey senior partner and chair of North America, about where AI is already reshaping customer service, sales, and software engineering; why open-weight models will always have a place despite the frontier labs&rsquo; cost advantage; and why he thinks the data center buildout&mdash;despite its real financial risk&mdash;is a bet the US needs to make.&nbsp;
In this recurring series on The McKinsey Podcast, Kutcher speaks with top CEOs about the practice of leadership.
The McKinsey Podcast&nbsp;is regularly cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.
&nbsp;

Democratized superintelligence is coming: The world needs to get ready 

The toughest transformation problems aren’t always strategic or operational. They’re human: the instinct to play it safe, protect what’s ours, trust who we know, and wait for change to pass. Individually, these behaviors can seem perfectly rational. Collectively, they can bring a transformation to a standstill. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Kurt Strovink and Partner join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss five collective-action problems that inhibit transformation success, and what leaders need to know to spot them early—and solve them. 

 

Any unanswered questions about this episode? Send them our way at:  TheMcKinseyPodcast@mckinsey.com

 

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

The toughest transformation problems aren&rsquo;t always strategic or operational. They&rsquo;re human: the instinct to play it safe, protect what&rsquo;s ours, trust who we know, and wait for change to pass. Individually, these behaviors can seem perfectly rational. Collectively, they can bring a transformation to a standstill. On this episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>, McKinsey Senior Partner<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/kurt-strovink"> Kurt Strovink</a> and Partner<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/mathew-lee"></a> join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights/collective-action-collective-success-a-ceos-role-in-transformations">five collective-action problems</a> that inhibit transformation success, and what leaders need to know to spot them early&mdash;and solve them.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Any unanswered questions about this episode? Send them our way at:&nbsp; <a href="mailto:TheMcKinseyPodcast@mckinsey.com">TheMcKinseyPodcast@mckinsey.com</a>
&nbsp;
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

A net zero reality check

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