McKinsey Warns AI to Redraw Consulting Workforce by 2030

A new McKinsey report projects that by 2030, AI could automate 30% of consulting roles, signaling a structural shift in how strategic advice is developed, delivered, and deployed.

In a new report released on March 15, 2025, McKinsey & Company projected that artificial intelligence could replace up to 30% of consulting jobs globally by 2030. The finding isn’t a forecast of job loss—it’s a signal of redefinition. The consulting landscape is rapidly transforming as automation takes over data analysis, scenario modeling, and even aspects of strategy formulation that once demanded human insight. The report frames the transition not as a threat, but as an inevitability—one requiring immediate adaptation. Traditionally, consulting has been built on the premise of human expertise delivering tailored advice. But AI’s expanding ability to analyze massive datasets in real time, simulate business outcomes, and recommend optimal pathways is shifting the value proposition. It’s not that consultants are being replaced—it’s that the core functions of what they do are being reengineered.

As automation becomes embedded in the diagnostic layers of consulting, firms will need to recalibrate talent strategies. Analysts and associates may see their roles morph into AI supervisors, managing models instead of manually building them. Meanwhile, client-facing roles will likely evolve into facilitators of machine-assisted decision-making, emphasizing emotional intelligence, ethics, and high-stakes judgment. For industry leaders, the takeaway is immediate: consulting partnerships will no longer hinge solely on domain knowledge. Instead, firms that can integrate AI into their advisory pipelines—while preserving human nuance—will emerge as strategic differentiators. This shift opens the door for hybrid service models that combine algorithmic speed with human adaptability, a blend clients will come to expect.

In short, the consulting industry is not being eroded by AI—it’s being recalibrated by it. And for organizations that rely on external advisors, the question is no longer if AI will shape consulting—but how fast they are willing to embrace that new framework.