The Great Decoupling: how AI is redefining technology consulting
The market evidence is unequivocal
The adjustment is already underway at the major global firms:
- KPMG and Deloitte reduced junior profile hiring by between 18% and 29% in 2024.
- BCG reports efficiency gains of up to 40% in new hires thanks to generative AI.
- Capgemini is carrying out strategic restructuring across Europe by automating intermediate tasks, even while posting record profit margins.
The functions that sustained the base of the pyramid —repetitive development, testing, documentation, initial analysis— are precisely those most exposed to automation. The sector is already adjusting its structures accordingly.
From pyramid to obelisk: new organisational architectures
The classic pyramid structure, with a broad base of generalist profiles, is evolving towards new models. First towards the diamond, with greater weight given to hybrid and specialist profiles; then towards the obelisk: small, highly skilled teams that are exponentially more capable thanks to the backing of artificial intelligence.
Volume ceases to be a competitive advantage. Specialisation and the ability to orchestrate technology become the new ones.
The new paradigm: Asset-Based Consulting
The winning business model in this new environment is Asset-Based Consulting: leading consultancies do not rent time, they deploy proprietary assets. Proprietary methodologies, Small Language Models (SLMs), algorithms and autonomous agents are the new productive capital.
The client no longer pays for visible human effort. They pay for acceleration capacity, risk reduction and measurable results. This shift also transforms the revenue model: from billing by hours and materials to billing by results, subscriptions and asset licences.
The consultant of the future: human judgement amplified by AI
Talent does not disappear in this new model. It mutates. The consultant of the future is a hybrid profile combining deep business knowledge —strategy, change management, client relationships— with technological orchestration capability: AI engineering, data governance, AI Assurance and ethics.
They no longer draft from scratch. They orchestrate agents, reinterpret insights and audit quality. Repetitive work disappears; the need for judgement multiplies.
The greatest risk: yesterday’s mindset
Integrating AI tools without transforming the operational structure or the billing model is a critical strategic mistake. Competing on volume in the age of automation destroys margins. Maintaining rigid hierarchies slows down innovation. And passing technological efficiency on to the client —reducing hours without adjusting rates— means generating value for others without capturing it.
Real differentiation will not come from “using AI”, but from industrialising it with one’s own judgement.
The AXPE vision: talent, industrialisation and business focus
At AXPE Consulting we believe that the winners of this transformation will be those who integrate three pillars simultaneously: expert talent with sound judgement, industrialisation through AI assets and agents, and an absolute focus on the client’s real business challenges.
Growing no longer means hiring more. It means multiplying the real capacity to produce value. Consulting is not shrinking; it is evolving towards its most intelligent, asset-based and strategic form.