AI won’t replace consultants, just separate the wheat from the chaff
Every few weeks a new headline pops up predicting the demise of the business consultant. According to this narrative, AI will soon replace PowerPoint decks, strategic memos and the advice that traditional consultants provide. Such doom gets it backwards!
AI will not eliminate the need for external expertise. It will eliminate the tolerance for consultants who only advise and ride into the sunset. This is what is becoming obsolete, not the need for experienced partners.
In the 21st-century business environment, especially for SMBs and startups, the real value is shifting from advice to execution, and AI is the catalyst speeding up that shift.
AI commoditizes information, not judgment.
For decades, most consulting value came from privileged access to information: benchmark data, frameworks, industry insights and analytical capacity. Today, AI tools can generate scenarios, financial models, draft strategies and even full go-to-market plans in minutes. So if your offer as a consultant is, “I know a framework you don’t,” AI has already eaten your lunch.
But there are three things AI cannot do on its own:
- Own the outcome. AI does not take responsibility if the strategy fails.
- Navigate human complexity. Teams, egos, culture, fear, politics — all the messy human factors that decide whether a plan happens.
- Execute in the real world. Someone still must prioritize, decide, pilot, build, test, negotiate and adjust.
This is where the new view emerges: not the passive “consultant” who hands over a report but the partner who stays in the trenches until the needle moves.
From slide decks to scoreboards: the rise of KPI-driven execution.
- The traditional consulting steps focused on diagnose, analyze, recommend, report and then leave.
- The new cycle requires a more active focus: diagnose, co-design, implement, monitor, adjust, coach and scale successfully.
This is where AI is an ally, not a threat. Imagine a relationship where:
- Key business KPIs are monitored in real time, not reviewed once a quarter.
- AI surfaces early warnings: rising churn, shrinking margins, slipping sales cycles.
- The “consultant” is not drafting a long report about the problem; they are already on a call with the owner saying, “Here are three actions we can take this week. Let us choose one and implement it now.”
In this model, the external expert shares more in the execution and acts proactively as a coach and co-pilot. They use AI to scan data faster and more deeply, but their value is turning that insight into decisive action. And for SMBs and startups, where cash is tight and time is brutal, this is the difference between success or mere survival.
The term “business consultant” is outdated. Words matter. “Consultant” and “advisor” are passive words. They suggest someone you ask for input, not someone you rely on proactively to get things done.
In today’s environment, especially for SMBs, passive advice is not enough. These businesses need:
- Execution support, not just strategy.
- Accountability, not just ideas.
- Continuity, not one-off reports.
Call it Execution Partner, Growth Operator, Performance Co-Pilot; the label matters less than the shift in mindset: from telling to doing, from diagnostics to outcomes.
So why does this evolution matter most to SMBs and startups? Large corporations can still afford long strategy projects and glossy presentations. SMBs and startups cannot. They need:
- Faster learning cycles.
- Shorter time from insight to action.
- Tangible ROI on every external dollar spent.
This is exactly where AI plus a strong execution agent can create advantages. An SMB owner rarely has the time to:
- Build dashboards.
- Interpret complex data.
- Design and test new processes.
- Align strategy with operations.
But a 21st-century “consultant” can offer a hybrid model:
- AI-enhanced visibility into what is really happening in the business.
- Direct involvement in designing and implementing changes.
- Ongoing coaching of the internal team with a bias toward action and iteration.
This is not theory. This is what SMBs and startups are demanding: less talk, more traction. Thus, where the opportunity is.
So is AI a wake-up call for consulting?
You bet! Clinging to the old model, you will see AI tools replicating much of your work faster and cheaper. But if you choose to evolve, AI becomes your power tool:
- Boosting your analysis.
- Speeding your plan.
- Tracking more detailed KPIs more frequently.
Freeing you up to do what AI cannot: lead, integrate, coach, execute.
The market does not need fewer consultants. It needs fewer theorists and more execution agents. AI won’t kill the role; it will simply force a metamorphosis from passive and theoretical advisor to a partner willing to stand next to the management, look at the KPIs, understand the environment, help in the tough calls and stay until success is achieved. More of a lead actor and less of a cameo appearance.
So after more than 30 years in business and more than 16 as a business consultant, I’m killing my “business consultant” title, upgrading my 20th-century consulting perspective and welcoming the title “execution partner.”
It’s the 21st century, so let us work together to make your business a success.
Raúl Burgos is president and managing partner of Global 1080 Business Solutions, a consulting firm with more than 15 years of experience supporting business leaders across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Latin America. With more than 30 years of business experience, he is also the founder of the Puerto Rico Business Group on LinkedIn, a professional community of more than 30,000 members focused on economic development and entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico.
