McKinsey: the AI value curve and the economics of applying it to existing work

By McKinsey & Company (QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey) · October 20, 2026.

The email is an alert from McKinsey's Artificial Intelligence subscription list. It is signed by Dan Tinkoff and Lieven Van der Veken, introduced as global leaders of QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey. They invite readers to get in touch to discuss how these ideas could affect their organization.

The lead piece is titled "The AI value curve: The economics of applying AI to existing work." The email includes only a brief introduction, not the full article.

The piece argues that many organizations are still measuring AI adoption rather than the value AI creates. According to McKinsey, the AI value curve helps pinpoint where AI's automation potential can be deployed most profitably.

The email gives no figures, case studies or methodological details about the curve, so it is not possible to summarize beyond this premise.

The "Also Consider" section recommends two related articles: "The cost of intelligence: How CIOs can manage AI demand at scale" and "Where AI agents pay off: A practical guide to the economics of agentic workflows."

For industry context, the second suggested article ties into a current debate in companies: the financial return of agentic workflows and the need to measure the value they create, not just how much the tools are used.