AI & Consulting’s Great Reckoning
Premium Analysis
Every consulting firm faces the same fundamental question in 2026: How do we reorganize around AI?
The answer isn’t universal. It depends on what you’re optimizing for, what clients you serve, and what bet you’re willing to make about the future.
Three distinct architectures have emerged—each with its own logic, advantages, and fatal vulnerabilities. The firms that survive the next decade won’t be those that “adopt AI” generically. There’ll be those who pick the right architecture for their position and execute it ruthlessly.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: You can’t be all three. The architecture you choose constrains your strategy.
