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Evidence-backed analysis of how AI automation affects Strategy Consultants. Scores derived from published research — McKinsey, BLS, Stack Overflow, and industry data.
Automation Risk
Defensive Strength
Estimated Runway
4–6 YearsMarket Context
GPT-5 Deep Research produces 50-page synthesis reports from thousands of sources — commoditising basic market research and competitor analysis. Big Four firms cut staff and reduced graduate intake in 2025 citing AI efficiency. Client RFPs now demand domain-specific expertise over general consulting skills — 30–40% fee premiums for specialists. 'AI-fatigue' is emerging among consulting clients in 2026 as deliverables lack insight. The generalist analyst/associate role has 2–4 year runway; senior domain specialists with client relationships have 6–9 years.
Source: Based on Consultancy.uk 2026 Predictions, McKinsey & Company internal AI adoption data, Big Four restructuring announcements 2025, and client-side consulting spend analysis.
Task Breakdown — Time Allocation vs. Vulnerability
Highest Exposure Areas
Writing / Summarising / Documentation
GPT-5 Deep Research and Claude already produce publication-quality reports, emails, and documentation. By 2027, AI writing assistants will handle first-draft creation for virtually all standard business documents with minimal human input.
Analysis / Reporting
Standard analysis and reporting is already being absorbed by AI at the enterprise level. McKinsey notes analysis tasks among the sharpest automation increases. The defensible remainder is interpretation requiring proprietary context — that window is closing.
Customer / Stakeholder Communication
AI agents are now handling routine customer communication autonomously. The protection in this task comes from novel relationship context and trust — which erodes when your client interactions become standardised or when AI gains sufficient context to replicate the pattern.
Strongest Defenses
Decision-Making Under Uncertainty
This remains one of the most defensible task categories — AI struggles with genuine novelty and accountability. The erosion condition: as AI decision-support tools become standard, the bar for what counts as 'genuine uncertainty' rises, and roles that mostly execute defined playbooks lose this protection.
Customer / Stakeholder Communication
AI agents are now handling routine customer communication autonomously. The protection in this task comes from novel relationship context and trust — which erodes when your client interactions become standardised or when AI gains sufficient context to replicate the pattern.
Relationship Management / Trust Building
Live signals
Real-time AI signals affecting this role
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The average Strategy Consultant scores 40/100 risk. But your specific role, environment, and task allocation could be higher or lower. Get your personalised score in ~4 minutes.
This is the false moat most people rely on. Relationship trust is real protection today — it erodes when: (a) clients become comfortable trusting AI-mediated interactions, (b) your relationship context becomes standardisable, or (c) your firm deploys AI account management tools that clients prefer for speed.