The cost of intelligence: how CIOs can manage AI demand at scale

By McKinsey & Company · 2026 (the email does not state the exact send date).

This McKinsey Quarterly email, sent by Dan Tinkoff and Lieven Van der Veken, global leaders of QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, introduces a new article titled "The cost of intelligence: How CIOs can manage AI demand at scale."

The email's core message is short: "As AI costs spiral," CIOs "need to manage enterprise AI demand to optimize for outcomes, not just cost." The body of the message goes no further than this idea. It includes no figures, examples, company case studies or specific recommendations, so this summary sticks to what the email literally says and adds no data that does not appear in the text.

Alongside the main article, the email lists two related pieces under the heading "Also Consider": "Is that AI agent worth it? Agentic economics and the modern operating model" and "Cost versus value: Managing agentic AI system performance." These titles suggest that McKinsey is building an editorial line on the economics and performance of agentic AI systems in the enterprise. However, the email offers nothing on them beyond the headlines.

McKinsey Quarterly content of this kind is generally aimed at chief information officers (CIOs) and other executives who lead AI adoption at large organizations. It covers governance, cost and return on investment in artificial intelligence and autonomous agent projects.