Case study. McKinsey & Company
This McKinsey & Company case study analyzes how artificial intelligence can address a persistent gap in education: access to high-quality communication coaching. As noted on the first pages, communication skills are increasingly critical in an AI-driven labor market. However, personalized coaching remains limited to a small segment of students. For this reason, the initiative developed by JA Worldwide with McKinsey positions AI as a tool to scale access rather than replace human skills.
The opportunity: scaling communication skills
The report presents communication as a foundational skill that gains importance as automation expands. At the same time, unequal access remains the main constraint. Many students lack opportunities to practice and receive structured feedback. In response, JA Worldwide and McKinsey introduced JA Pitch Master, a generative AI-powered coach that delivers personalized feedback on presentations.
Early results indicate strong potential for scale. Pilots included over 2,000 students across five countries. Moreover, the solution could reach more than 500,000 learners as it expands.
The solution: AI-enabled personalized coaching
JA Pitch Master combines structured practice with AI-generated feedback and curated learning resources. Specifically, it evaluates presentations across content, delivery, and audience engagement. Responsible AI safeguards are embedded to ensure fairness, transparency, and bias mitigation. In addition, multiple AI agents support tasks such as tone refinement and hallucination detection.
A user-centered design approach guided development. The team conducted more than 35 interviews and multiple workshops to refine the experience. Furthermore, usability testing across Bahrain, Canada, and the Philippines enabled iterative improvements. These insights led to a functional minimum viable product in just three months.
Impact: accessibility, engagement, and skill development
Initial outcomes show strong user satisfaction. Scores exceed 4 out of 5 across usability, trust, and overall experience. Students describe the tool as intuitive and useful for identifying areas of improvement. At the same time, the system evaluates performance across 15 dimensions, with plans to expand to 36.
Beyond immediate feedback, the platform supports continuous learning. As illustrated almost at the end of the case, students record presentations, reflect on performance, and receive targeted feedback. They can also track progress over time through a personalized dashboard. Consequently, this process encourages sustained skill development rather than one-time evaluation.
The case study also highlights broader social impact. By combining scalability with structured learning, the initiative expands access to coaching-like experiences. In particular, it benefits students in underserved communities. Future updates include multilingual support, gamification, and additional AI tools focused on financial literacy.
Reference
McKinsey & Company. (2025). Preparing the next generation of confident communicators in an AI-driven economy. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/