- The traditional consulting industry operates on a “pyramid” model, with a base layer of junior analystsresponsible for research, modeling, and supporting senior staff – but AI is disrupting this structure.
- AI tools like McKinsey Lilli, BCG Deckster, Bain Sage, Deloitte Zora, and PwC Agent OS can now automate much of the work of junior-level staff, saving 30% of their time and increasing output quality.
- The new model is called the “obelisk” – a taller, narrower, and less layered structure with three key human roles:
- AI Facilitator: a junior person capable of operating AI tools and setting up data workflows.
- Engagement Architect: a project leader who understands context and translates AI outputs into strategy.
- Client Leader: a person who builds deep relationships and provides long-term advice to senior clients.
- AI-native firms like Disruptive Edge, Unity Advisory, Monevate, and SIB are eliminating the analyst tier entirely, using small, expert teams combined with AI to increase speed, reduce costs, and enhance consulting quality.
- These changes threaten the profitability of large consulting firms, which rely on the billable hours of thousands of junior employees.
- The transition to the obelisk model is not just a technological shift but a complete restructuring of recruitment, training, reward systems, and AI ethics.
- AI ethics and responsibility also emerge as AI becomes deeply involved in strategic decisions – requiring more distributed and transparent control processes, as proposed by research at Harvard led by Jeffrey Saviano.
- PwC has spent $1 billion on AI training, but most firms still tack on AI as an add-on tool rather than redesigning their entire operating model from the ground up.
📌 AI is reshaping the consulting industry by replacing the analyst tier and shifting from a “pyramid” model to a lean, specialized “obelisk” structure. Companies like Unity Advisory and Disruptive Edge have eliminated the middle layer, using AI to increase speed, reduce costs, and focus value on the human-tech-strategy interface. Traditional consulting firms that fail to radically restructure will soon be left behind.
