AI isn’t killing consulting
Welcome to the Dojo!
If you’re building a consulting business right now, you’ve probably asked yourself:
Is AI going to replace what I do?
It’s a fair question — but it’s also the wrong one. After nearly 30 years in Silicon Valley, seeing multiple tech waves up close, and studying how major consulting firms are adapting — and what smaller consultants can learn from them — I break this down in a video I just released. Below are a few key highlights.
On the Mat
- Let’s Train: How to Stay Valuable as AI Changes Consulting
- Ask Feras: “Do I need to become an AI expert to stay relevant as a consultant?”
- Sharpen the Blade: JUST RELEASED: How Smaller Consulting Firms Can Survive and Thrive in the Age of AI
Let's Train
Most people are looking at AI and asking whether consulting is going away.
It’s not.
But something more important is happening.
The value of consulting is shifting.
AI is already replacing parts of the work that consultants have traditionally sold—research, summaries, early-stage analysis.
Work that used to take days now takes minutes.
Clients are starting to do more of this themselves.
So yes, if your business is built around those activities, you should be concerned.
But that’s only half the story.
Because at the same time, companies are struggling to actually use AI effectively.
I hear this from companies:
“We’ve rolled out AI tools… but we’re not seeing system-wide changes and improvements.”
Or worse:
“It created more confusion.”
This is where the real opportunity is, not in competing with AI, but in helping organizations make it work.
AI can generate outputs—but those outputs don’t automatically turn into business results.
Why?
Because:
- Workflows aren’t redesigned
- Teams don’t know how to integrate AI into decisions
- Ownership is unclear
- Resistance slows everything down
So companies end up with pockets of productivity… but no real transformation. And most organizations struggle to bridge the gap.
That gap is where consultants become more valuable—not less.
If you understand the domain, and you’re even slightly ahead in how AI works in this domain, you can step in and:
- Audit workflows
- Fix broken handoffs
- Align outputs with real business outcomes
This is exactly how previous waves played out.
When CRM systems like Salesforce took off, large consulting firms led enterprise adoption.
But thousands of smaller consultants built highly profitable businesses helping mid-market companies implement those same systems.
They didn’t invent the trend.
They applied it.
AI is following the same pattern—just faster.
So the question isn’t:
“Will AI replace consultants?”
It’s:
“Where is the value moving—and are you moving with it?”
Ask Feras Recap
🔥 The Challenge
“Do I need to become an AI expert to stay relevant as a consultant?”
🛠️ What I Told Them
No. You need to understand enough to apply it in your domain. The real value is not in the tool—it’s in how you use it to drive outcomes.
Sharpen the Blade
I break this down into a clear framework—what’s changing, what’s not, and where the opportunity is—in this video:
The Hidden AI Opportunity Small Consultants Are Missing
If you’re serious about building or growing your consulting business, this is a shift you don’t want to ignore.
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