Consultancies at risk of contributing to AI change fatigue
Businesses have traditionally looked to the consulting world to address their most pressing challenges – particularly when it comes to applying new technology. But while half of firms are enduring data and AI skill shortages, and a third have seen this lead to significant delays, 87% have found consultancies are not easing transformation fatigue – and many may exacerbate it.
A new study from Emergn reveals a cautionary warning to UK business leaders betting big on AI to drive revenue growth. While AI initiatives may appear intelligent, strategic, and inevitable, leaders fear that they will ultimately fail if human capabilities and organisational preparedness are overestimated.
Emergn’s 2025 Intelligent Delusion Study was conducted by Censuswide, with a sample of 751 global organisations. Individuals surveyed included CEOs, CTOs, COOs, and others involved in operational change who have been employed for at least five years at companies with 1,000 or more employees and $500 million or more in revenue. Of those, 48% of respondents said data and AI skills were posing significant challenges in the recruitment process.
More than a quarter also said leadership and problem-solving skills were in short supply. And as they attempt to make the most of a new generation of technological advances, this is causing major problems.
As much as AI is talked about as offering the opportunity for savings, by boosting productivity, while downsizing headcount, the reality does not match up with the hype. Without the hiring or training of the right human talent, many companies are struggling to realise the apparent potential of the technology. More than 30% of respondents said, to that end, that a lack of training had resulted in delays to digital transformation projects of up to six months. Another 20% said this had led to digital transformations failing outright.
“Many companies view AI as a catalyst for revenue and growth, yet the real challenge lies not in adopting advanced technologies, but in bridging the gaps of talent, skills, and organisational capability,” said Alex Adamopoulos, CEO of Emergn. “The intelligent delusion is the belief that adopting advanced technologies is itself a sign of advancement. In reality, without an AI-First mindset that considers organisational role readiness, training, and capability building, it’s a sophisticated form of self-deception. The smarter the technology, the easier it becomes for intelligent leaders to overestimate its promise and underestimate the human condition required for success.”
Consulting fatigue
This is historically the kind of niche that consultants considered their bread and butter. They could bring skills to a workplace on an ad-hoc basis, oversee the implementation of new infrastructure and methodologies, while training staff to handle things after their exit – all the while managing resistance or change fatigue across the company.
But according to Emergn’s research, many clients feel consultants are also failing to live up to that billing. At a time when the revenues of the consulting sector seem to be flatlining, 87% of companies said they did not feel that consultancies eased transformation fatigue at their firm.
Perhaps worse, 37% said they saw external consultancies as contributors to challenges facing their change programmes. But according to the researchers, this does not suggest the answer is “no partners”. Rather, it’s the right partner in the right role: embedded behind internal product leadership, focused on capability transfer, governed by outcome-based measures, and bounded by clear exit criteria.
The researchers added, “External partners can amplify complexity when roles are unclear or change is paced poorly. As AI accelerates change, organisations that use partners to de-risk delivery and build internal muscle, rather than outsource ownership, sustain momentum without adding fatigue.”
