The rapidly changing world of AI technology has sparked an inundation of theories that many jobs will soon become obsolete.
This year, Bill Gates predicted that only three jobs will survive the next few decades, whilst the ‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton has similarly warned that with AI will come mass unemployment.
Whilst such dire existential musings are easy to shrug off as outlandish, at the core of them is an important message. If workers don’t adapt, they will be replaced.
But where does that leave consulting?
Well, adaptation is key. AI does not have to herald a dark future if leveraged effectively – instead, it can offer boundless opportunities for the consulting industry and its human employees.
This article will outline three reasons why consulting in the age of AI will not be obsolete, but can instead be driven by the new opportunities that the technology presents.
1. AI cannot replace the human touch
At the heart of consulting lies human connection. Whilst AI is incredibly efficient at processing data, talking to a robot can never replace the human interactions that are so important in the consulting industry.
Trust, rapport, and connecting with clients on a personal level are often key to big projects. These soft skills are not commodities that can be automated, and a consultant’s ability to read a room, sense client anxieties, and mediate between conflicting stakeholders requires emotional intelligence that no algorithm can replicate.
Consulting also often demands cultural sensitivity and a nuanced appreciation of human behavior. Advising a family-owned business in Asia requires different communication styles and values than supporting a tech startup in Silicon Valley, for example.
AI might provide facts and models, but only people can ‘read the room’. The human touch is needed to interpret objective data in light of unspoken norms, histories, and organisational politics.
2. AI allows us to focus on more sophisticated tasks
One of Gates’ points was that roles involving complex strategic thinking and creativity are less likely to be replaced by AI. The technology can, by all means, execute menial tasks such as formatting, note taking, delegating and creating content in Excel and PowerPoint. Rather than eating into the consultant’s role, this actually brings opportunity: if consultants no longer need to devote hours to administrative tasks, they can redirect their energy toward higher-level strategic work.
This will have a trickle-down effect – where individual consultants are thinking more creatively, the whole industry will become more sophisticated. Consultants can deliver better value for money and develop the nuances of strategies and approaches simply by giving the groundwork to AI, and therefore having more time and resources for more strategic thinking.
3. AI makes mistakes
AI is not infallible. In fact, it is notorious for what is termed ‘hallucination’ – generating plausible but entirely false information. In the legal industry, numerous examples of ‘phantom case law’ serve as stark reminders that AI is not to be blindly trusted.
In consulting, where accuracy, integrity, and professional judgement are paramount, relying solely on AI would be reckless. People will always be required to regulate AI’s output and discern what is correct and what is erroneous; it is consultants’ responsibility to ensure that clients are never misled by machine-generated inaccuracies.
Key Takeaway
The consulting industry, far from being replaced, has the chance to be enhanced by AI.
Its value lies not in resisting technology, but in embracing it intelligently.
The consultants who thrive will be those who understand where AI can be leveraged to replace consultants’ tasks and where irreplaceable human qualities should be capitalised on. In other words, we must understand our own strengths and weaknesses and delegate appropriately.
The future is not one of obsolescence but of opportunity.
India Jordan Jones is a final-year undergraduate student at the University of Oxford, reading English Language and Literature. She is interested in a career in consulting or commercial law and passionate about sustainability and energy matters in business.
Image: DALL-E
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