Every week, someone declares that AI will make consultants obsolete. What we actually see is AI breathing new life into consulting, with practically every model maker teaming up with consulting firms for delivery support.

The real story isn't about whether consulting is dead. It's about whether the consulting model your company is paying for is built for this era or the last one.

In this episode of AI, Actually, Jim Johnson hosts Evan Gatch, Nicole Kosky, and Andy Sweet for a candid conversation on what enterprise AI consulting actually looks like right now: what's working, what's failing, and what clients should be demanding from their partners.

You'll learn:

Why IT-led AI initiatives consistently underperform and what the Fortune 500 failures have in common
How the consulting business model is shifting from hourly rates to outcome-based and gain-share agreements
Why prototypes are easier to build than ever and why that makes the POC-to-production gap more dangerous, not less
What "enterprise grade" actually means when it comes to agentic AI solutions
How to structure a use case prioritization framework before you start building
Why organizational change management is the constraint that technology alone can't solve

This episode is designed for: CDOs, VP-level analytics and data science leaders, AI transformation leads, and enterprise consulting buyers navigating AI strategy decisions.

Learn more about AnswerRocket's enterprise AI solutions: https://answerrocket.com/

Speakers

Andy Sweet, VP Enterprise AI Solutions, AnswerRocket - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdsweet/
Jim Johnson, President, AnswerRocket | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-johnson-bb82451/
Nicole Kosky, Senior Director of Services, AnswerRocket | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-kosky-5b9a3b6/
Evan Gatch, VP Consulting Sales, AnswerRocket - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-gatch-1531482/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Meet the Experts

02:10 Consulting in the Rapidly Evolving AI Landscape

04:14 The Changing Nature of Consulting Services

07:18 Aligning AI Solutions with Business Goals

14:02 The Role of Software Engineering Skills in AI

17:17 Organizational Change and AI Adoption Challenges

21:42 Enterprise-Grade AI Solutions and Production Readiness

29:28 Structured Approaches to AI Opportunities

32:45 Outcome-Based Pricing and Trust in Consulting

38:29 Closing Remarks and Future Outlook

#AIConsulting #EnterpriseAI #AIStrategy #OutcomeBased #AgenticAI #AITransformation #AIActually