AI and the consultant

For years, consultants have built careers on late nights, endless data-crunching, and the sacred art of PowerPoint sorcery. Insightful frameworks, breakthrough “aha” moments, and decks so sleek they could pass for digital origami. This was the rhythm of the consulting grind.

Then came ChatGPT.

Now, consultants face a new reality: AI can generate polished insights in less time than it takes to order a latte. Ten seconds in, ChatGPT has drafted your executive summary, crafted a killer SWOT analysis, and probably found a quote from Peter Drucker to make it all sound profound.

So what now? Panic? Update your LinkedIn headline to “Freelance AI Whisperer?” Start a TikTok career doing live selling with free consultation on the side?

Not so fast.

AI isn’t the end of consulting. It’s the reboot we didn’t know we needed. It’s bringing consulting back to its roots.

For decades, the value of consultants rested on three pillars:

Being extra hands – or, as some clients call it, “our overpriced temps.”

Credibility enhancement – because nothing sells a decision quite like a report from someone in a tailored suit and serious glasses. Now you know why I wear these all the time.

Fresh thinking – the magical ability to repackage what clients already know into something they’ll do.

AI, however, is putting severe pressure on all three.

Need data crunched? GPT-4 can do that while you sleep. Want a strategic roadmap? AI will whip one up while you sip your morning coffee. Credibility? ChatGPT speaks with such confident swagger, even when it’s wrong that it’s giving consultants a run for their money when it comes to PowerPoint transitions.

The impact is real. Planning an engagement, testing hypotheses, and building draft reports that once took days now take minutes. Consultants must reckon with this new pace and redefine their value in a world where AI is the new intern, analyst and junior associate all rolled into one and never asking for a coffee break.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

AI’s rise in consulting has followed three stages:

The experiment phase – Consultants began using AI tools for routine tasks, such as drafting documents, summarizing data, and cleaning up notes. Making speeches. AI is the best intern you ever had.

The integration phase – Clients and consultants began leveraging AI together, forming hybrid workflows where AI handled the heavy lifting and humans added the necessary expertise.

The ecosystem phase – Enter the Centaurs: professionals who seamlessly blend AI capabilities with human judgment. As coined by Harvard researchers, Centaurs are the new consulting elite; half human, half machine, fully effective.

This shift doesn’t mark the end of consulting. It’s the beginning of consulting that matters.

Because here’s the truth: consulting was never about fancy slides or mathematical wizardry. It’s about people. It’s about trust. It’s about knowing when to ask the tricky question, when to say “that strategy won’t work,” and when to help a struggling leader see the light at the end of the tunnel.

AI can give you data, but it can’t provide you with discernment. It can simulate empathy, but it can’t build relationships. It can generate answers, but it can’t ask the right questions in the first place.

That’s where the future consultant thrives.

What will set tomorrow’s trusted advisor apart?

Think authentic relationships. Because clients don’t just want answers. They want people they can rely on when everything hits the fan.

Think moral compass. AI has no ethics. Consultants will need to weigh not only what can be done but also what should be done.

Think judgment over jargon. The ability to translate data into action, insight into execution and complexity into clarity.

In other words, the future consultant will not be the most intelligent person in the room—but they’ll be the wisest, the most adaptable, and the one people trust most when things get messy.

This isn’t just about consulting. Every knowledge-based industry is facing disruption. AI is sweeping away repetitive, high-effort, low-value tasks. That’s not a curse; it’s a gift. It gives consultants space to return to what counts: creativity, collaboration, and decisions that move people and businesses forward.

Yes, AI is unsettling. It’s fast, relentless, and occasionally creepy in how well it knows what you are about to ask. However, it’s also an invitation to work more effectively, think more deeply, and stop hiding behind busy work.

Ultimately, consulting’s value won’t lie in slide perfection or spreadsheet wizardry. It will lie in helping real people solve real problems with genuine empathy and insight.

So, consultants, take a deep breath. The bots are here — but they’re not your competition. They’re your coworkers. And they’ll never replace what makes your work truly matter.

Happy futureproofing.

Catch Francis Kong on his YouTube and podcast channel Kongversations with Francis. And don’t miss his inspiring podcast “Inspiring Excellence” now streaming on Spotify, Apple, Google, and all major podcast platforms.