# Consulting Industry Trends 2026: Evaluating Consulting Partners in the Age of AI

DevFeed: [Consulting Industry Trends 2026: Evaluating Consulting Partners in the Age of AI](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/consulting-industry-trends-2026-evaluating-consulting-partners-in-the-age-of-ai-4463.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.toptal.com/executive-guidance/consulting-industry-trends>)

Author: MATTHEW MCNAGHTEN, BUSINESS STRATEGY & FINANCE CONSULTING PRACTICE LEAD @ TOPTAL

Published: 2026-08-20T05:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Toptal Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/toptal-blog.md>)

Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [Automation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/automation.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/systems.md>)

Tags: [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [article](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/article.md>), [enterprise](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/enterprise.md>), [industry-trends](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/industry-trends.md>)

## AI overview

This article examines how AI, automation, and productization are reshaping the consulting industry. It presents five considerations for business leaders evaluating advisory partners as consulting firms adopt AI-enabled systems and new operating architectures.

## Source excerpt

As AI reshapes the consulting industry, company leaders must rethink how they choose advisory partners. Use these five considerations to identify firms built for today's business landscape.