Swarms of consultants descend on companies that have engaged their firms, racking up billable hours and cranking out PowerPoint presentations that summarize the data they’ve analyzed. That business model is at risk, given the amount of that work that AI can now handle. Recognizing the threat, some consulting firms are actively reengineering their businesses, with McKinsey out in front. In this short midweek episode, Shel and Neville review the actions of several firms and agencies, and discuss what might come next for consultants. Links from this episode: AI Is Coming for the Consultants. Inside McKinsey, ‘This Is Existential.’ The AI Revolution in PR: A Wake-Up Call for PR Agencies Inside the AI boom that’s transforming how consultants work at McKinsey, BCG, and Deloitte EY CEO says AI won’t decrease its 400,000-person workforce — but it might help it double in size PwC is training junior accountants to be like managers, because AI is going to be doing the entry-level work How AI is Redefining Strategy Consulting: Insights from McKinsey, BCG, and Bain Will AI Empower the PR Industry or Create Endless Seas of Spam? How AI Agents Benefit PR Agencies Study reveals rising application of AI across communications by the public relations industry Adapting to Change: The Key Trends Redefining Public Relations Firms July layoffs up 140% from last year The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, August 25. We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. To obtain the credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request them in our Facebook group, or email fircomments@gmail.com. Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music. You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients. Raw Transcript: @nevillehobson (00:02) Hi