Consulting is dead. Long Live Consulting!

We live in interesting times where industries are being redefined in real time. Career paths are disappearing. Traditional expertise is aging faster than ever.  Tasks that once needed teams of analysts, researchers, and associates can now be done in minutes with AI tools.

I have been on multiple panels where I hear the two polar opposite views of AI's impact. It seems akin to the disruption caused by the industrial revolution. One school of thought believes new jobs and job types will be created; we will all live a much better, less stressfulwork life where there will be fewer work hours. The other school of thought believes that AI will kill so many jobs that we are all going to rue not reigning it in when we had a chance. OR The other believes AI will displace jobs at a scale we are still underestimating, and that we may eventually regret not regulating it sooner.

The truth is we don’t know where this will lead us. I don't claim to know the future. But regardless of which future eventually unfolds, one thing is clear. Organizations need help navigating the transition.

Across industries, manufacturing, banking, logistics, supply chain, healthcare, education – organizations seem to be grappling with similar questions. AI is fast replacing and displacing the work of junior analysts. How do we prepare for a future that is changing faster than internal capabilities can keep up with? How do we determine what should be automated and what should remain human-led? How do we keep pace with rapid changes across functions, technologies, and workflows?

This is where the role of consulting comes in. While traditional consulting may get disrupted, consulting will survive when it evolvesto help Organizations navigate through and plan for an AI pervasive future. Rather than look at presentations and reporting, consulting companies can concentrate on what truly matters: helping organizations think clearly, design effectively, and execute meaningfully in an AI-shaped world.

Smaller, consulting companies with deep tech and AI expertise will be much in demand. Lower overheads, nimbler pricing models, latest expertise, leveraging AI for managing large scale projects with extensive AI enabled heavy lifting and small teams have a distinct advantage.

Those consulting firms will survive that have geared up to help organizations think clearly, adapt quickly, and execute meaningfully in an AI-shaped world. Choose your consultants wisely.