Millennials are in the best position to champion AI and advance innovation within their teams
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AI adoption in companies has moved beyond initial experimentation and intrigue, and has now progressed towards a usage phase where the ultimate question leaders must decide is,
“How do we propel our teams forward with AI implementation so we’re ahead in our industry?”
McKinsey released a report in 2025, in which they referenced the term AI “super-agency” coined by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and described it as a state where AI is being effectively deployed and used to multiply impact effectively integrate into every part of our work.
AI superagency is when “individuals, empowered by AI, supercharge their creativity, productivity, and positive impact. Even those not directly engaging with AI can benefit from its broader effects on knowledge, efficiency, and innovation,” says McKinsey.
The potential of AI is significant, yet the McKinsey report notes that most senior leaders are either unaware or moving too slowly and risk falling behind altogether.
The AI innovation is comparable to what the steam engine was to the industrial revolution, the invention of the car was to the transport industry of horse and carriage, or the invention of the internet was to information sharing.
In fact, AI has greater potential than all of these, notes McKinsey, because it can democratize access to skill building, information sharing, and significantly improve the quality of our work across multiple layers and all industries.
But while senior business leaders lack the speed and strategy to keep things moving so their companies can stay ahead of AI adoption, there is one specific group of workers that’s emerging as AI power users. This class of super-users will fundamentally shape how effective companies are at staying ahead of AI adoption.
What McKinsey’s Data Found
The report noted a key finding: Millennials are the most actively engaged AI users. Specifically, McKinsey noted that most managers and team leaders in organizations are Millennials aged 35 to 44. About 62% of Millennials in organizations report high levels of expertise with AI, yet only 50% of Gen Z and 22% of boomers over the age of 65 can say the same. These Millennial managers and team leaders have the greatest likelihood to:
Support their teamsField questionsEngage their teams on AI tool usage and adoption
McKinsey’s data suggests that leaders should tap into these super-users to empower AI super-agency.
Why Millennial Managers?
Millennial managers are perfectly positioned for enabling AI adoption because their role sits between execution and strategy.
They are able to operationalize what is only considered in theory. They’re also close enough to front-line and operational staff to see where AI can make the greatest impact. This intelligence allows them to translate AI into operations, and has the power to move from pilot experiments to full-scale implementation within their teams.They can get close enough to the data and use their analytical and reporting tools to see where the greatest impact lies and the effects of using AI within their departments.
Teams have been more inclined to actively engage with them than with senior leadership so managers are in a strategic position to ask questions to find out how their team is using AI, prevent shadow AI, and actively work with their teams to make them innovation-forward.
What Is An AI Superuser?
Asana recently published their State of AI at Work report ahead of their Work Innovation Summit in late 2025 in which they reference AI scalers, which is essentially the same as a superuser.
An AI champion, scaler, or superuser is a professional who:
Knows how to apply AI directly to their workUses multiple AI tools and prompts effectivelyDevelops strategies and workflows that leverage AI effectively without adding a digital burdenNormalizes the idea of AI use within their work and the work of their teamsEncourages experimentation alongside guardrailsSupports other team members by answering their questionsIs constantly rethinking and reimagining how work should be doneEven more critically, they understand the difference between AI as a tool like Google, and using AI daily and strategically as a teammate
Having management responsibility and visibility as a super-user creates other, highly engaged super-users.
This is even more important than adoption rates. McKinsey’s report reveals that most C-suite leaders are unaware of how engaged and ahead their teams are when it comes to AI within their work.
For instance, many business leaders assume that only 4% of their employees are engaging AI for at least a third of their daily work, when in reality, the self-reported figure sits at about 12% (three times higher).
However, while the adoption is there, many organizations are still a long way from AI maturity, where it begins to make tangible impact.
And this is why, beyond enthusiasm and AI usage, teams need the support of middle managers, who are largely comprised of Millennials, to multiply impact.
They need managers who will:
Run team and department-specific tests and pilots and scale themBe open to feedbackLocalize implementation and knowledge sharingHost team meetings that actively involve knowledge sharing and AI tool exploration.
AI should be part of a manager’s team strategy instead of sitting adjacent to it. (For instance, 86% of the 1,440 managers surveyed for the McKinsey report agreed that Gen AI was successful in resolving their team member’s challenge.)
When a manager is excited about AI and shows genuine enthusiasm through providing the infrastructure and support for innovation to happen, including enabling and empowering a risk-taking culture rather than risk-averse, teams feel empowered to own their work and drive AI change even faster.
This is where real enablement begins.
AI Is An In-Demand Leadership/Management Skill
AI is the new leadership and management skill. This is why if you want to be an effective manager in 2026, or if you’re hoping to land a promotion, one of the most essential skills you need to focus on building and demonstrating in your resume and interview is AI literacy and strategy.
You need to provide evidence of how you’ve demonstrated this outside of your management role, and if you’ve already worked in leadership before, point to examples of where you’ve enabled AI adoption within your team in the past.
You have plenty of scope for control here, and it’s in your hands to reshape what good management looks like in 2026 by propelling your teams forward with AI.
Some ideas:
Coach your teams to build self-accountability and ownership and pride in their work. Encourage them to come to you with ideas and questions. Create a space where everyone is actively pitching in and contributing.
In this way, they feel like they own the AI strategy, and teams are more likely to respond positively to AI policies and restrictive guardrails when they feel this accountability and trust in them.
(Discover other leadership skills to upgrade your resume in 2026 here in this recent Forbes article.)
AI-skilling and strategy is a non-negotiable for team leaders and managers in 2026
gettyWhat About AI And Gen Z, Gen X, And Boomers?
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, when it comes to organizations building their leadership pipeline, it’s essential that they upskill employees at all levels in AI strategy and adoption, and that all generations of employees are able to demonstrate this active engagement effectively.
This includes Gen Zers at the start of their careers. This skill will get them further ahead in their careers than they realize, and will enable them to be well prepared for leadership opportunities.
And then there’s Gen Xers, still active users of AI but some of the lowest users overall according to the Marist Poll, who could definitely do with ramping up not just their usage, but targeted applications.
Finally, Boomers can champion a culture of learning and development and lay the foundational framework for successful AI implementation.
So it goes beyond elementary phases like “AI, write me this email,” to more complex workflows and applications, such as using AI to solve a real problem in customer service.
AI super agency is the new workplace advantage.
The question for you as a manager and as a leader is, where do you sit on this spectrum? Because wherever you sit today will determine how you and your organization emerge by 2028.
Will you remain behind or will you propel your teams forward?