Consulting Firms Under Fire for AI Rollouts

Big consulting firms—McKinsey, PwC, Deloitte, and others—are under fire as clients grow disillusioned with their AI promises. Three years into the generative AI boom, enterprises report that advisory firms oversold their expertise, delivering glossy reports rather than scalable business solutions.

When AI first dominated boardrooms, consultants rushed to market themselves as transformation leaders. PwC pledged results “beyond promises,” while McKinsey and Bain positioned AI as a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Spending on AI consulting surged to $3.75 billion in 2024, nearly triple the previous year. Yet the results often fell short. 

Executives from Merck to AmeriSave Mortgage described consultants lacking the technical depth to move beyond proofs of concept. One executive said bluntly, “We discovered they had no idea how to do these things.”

Enterprises like CVS Health and Bristol-Myers Squibb instead found internal teams more capable of experimenting with AI applications. Some clients ended contracts early, while others chose to build in-house expertise rather than “pay someone to learn on your dime.”

Despite setbacks, firms remain optimistic. Accenture reported $100 million in new AI bookings, and KPMG sees $1.4 billion in U.S. projects. Analysts believe the real opportunity will come later, when reliable use cases demand large-scale deployment.