There has been plenty of AI disruption talk in the professional services space in the digital realm for the past year of so. The LLMs are brilliant, and a fantastic cognitive aid- does entry level analyst work well, but does not solve for why consultants are required by companies. They are hired to augment in house teams, problem solve as an aid, and the most important reason is legitimacy for a regulatory requirement.

The engineering consultants will still write EIAs, design roads and aid with the innovative capital needed to build back better for a world of global heating.

One of the toughest things in business is to sell consulting services, and the client only buys when there is a need. Find the need and the work comes. AI or no AI, people buy from people.

The basics remain the same, no one buys research, they buy a solution.