Contrary to projections that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace consultants, global consulting firms are regaining prominence. As companies struggle to apply AI technologies to real-world operations, strategy consulting firms such as McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) are emerging as key partners for AI adoption.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 8th (local time), major AI companies including OpenAI and Anthropic are working with global consulting firms such as McKinsey, BCG, Accenture, and Capgemini to help expand corporate use of AI. The backdrop is that actual utilization in the corporate field has lagged behind the pace of technological development.

In a survey McKinsey conducted last year of about 2,000 employees, roughly two-thirds of respondents said their organizations had not been able to scale AI across the entire company. In a separate survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) of about 4,500 chief executive officers, more than half said they had not yet achieved meaningful financial results from AI.

● A ‘bridge’ between AI technology and the corporate frontline

To close this gap, AI companies are joining forces with consulting firms to expand efforts to apply AI to actual business processes.

Going beyond simple chatbots, OpenAI’s “Frontier” platform is a system that enables companies to build and operate AI agents. Consulting firms use this to work together with clients from corporate strategy development to AI system integration and business process redesign.

The consulting industry itself is also changing with the adoption of AI. It is moving away from the traditional model in which many junior consultants analyze data and draft reports, toward a project structure that increasingly involves engineers and technology experts.

Compensation models are changing as well. The traditional method of billing based on the size of the project team is giving way to “performance-based contracts” in which fees are tied to project outcomes.

The expansion of AI adoption is also fueling growth in the consulting market. According to industry research, the global consulting market grew by about 5.5% last year, with the growth rate roughly doubling from the previous year. Accenture recently announced that it had secured about USD 2.2 billion worth of new AI-related contracts in a single quarter.

● Ultimately, responsibility lies with humans… Why consultants are still needed in the AI era

There are, however, projections that AI could eventually replace part of the consulting industry’s functions over the long term, as AI can automate many tasks such as data analysis and report writing.

Even so, corporate executives still seek the advice of human experts for critical decision-making. One venture capital investor said, “Companies need someone they can hold accountable when problems arise,” adding, “In the end, they need someone they can call and challenge directly.”

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