Here's a new way to think about getting promoted at a big consulting firm: use the company's AI tools, or watch your career stall. That's the message from Accenture Plc (ACN), which is now making regular use of its internal artificial intelligence tools a formal requirement for senior staff looking to move up the ladder.

Think about it. For years, promotions were about hitting your numbers, managing clients, and leading teams. Now, at Accenture, there's a new box to check. If you're an associate director or a senior manager and you want to get into a leadership-track role, you need to show you're consistently using the firm's AI tools. It's not just a suggestion anymore; it's part of the evaluation.

According to reports, an internal email described the shift clearly: "Use of our key tools will be a visible input to talent discussions." In other words, when managers sit down to talk about who gets promoted, they'll be looking at who is actually using the AI software the company has invested in. It turns day-to-day tool adoption from a nice-to-have into a career-critical metric.

This isn't coming out of nowhere. Accenture has been framing AI skills as a company-wide must-have for a while. The firm is serious about building out its AI ecosystem, and that means getting its own people to use it. To support this push, Accenture has been striking deals with some of the biggest names in AI.

The company expanded employee access to ChatGPT Enterprise through an agreement with OpenAI last December. It also has a separate partnership with Anthropic. And it's not just about providing access; it's about training. Accenture has worked with Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) to provide AI training to more than 2,000 staff using Palantir's platforms.

So, what's the big picture? Accenture is a giant that advises other companies on digital transformation. It's hard to credibly tell clients to embrace AI if your own senior leaders aren't living it. By tying promotions to tool usage, Accenture is putting real, career-shaped stakes on the table to ensure adoption happens from the inside out. It's a clear signal that in the modern corporate world, understanding and using AI isn't just another skill—it's becoming part of the job description for leadership.