Consulting in transition: How AI and digitalization are changing the everyday life of consultants

A field report by Stephan Breitfeld, Executive Researcher

Between high-tech and knowledge of human nature

Executive search relies on experience, intuition - and now more than ever on intelligent technologies. Everyday consulting is changing noticeably: artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools are a concrete companion in day-to-day business.

Digital tools along the entire customer journey

We use generative AI specifically in preliminary research - for example to identify target companies or to create initial text modules. Platforms such as Heygen enable video presentations, while tools such as DeepL or transcription AIs save valuable time during correction and documentation. Even the individual candidate folder is now created with the help of AI: It contains location, salary range, skills profile and an individually calculated Z-score for comparability.

Our aim is to offer our clients full transparency at all times. With digital “Search Strategy Reports”, we create a comprehensible basis: insights into the target companies, classification of candidate profiles, project progress - everything can be viewed at any time. The client decides for themselves when and how intensively they want to be informed.

100% digital - if desired

Our processes are - if requested by the customer - completely digitalized: from initial contact to structured online interviews and in-depth assessments using external scientific tools. But one thing remains constant: direct human contact. Authenticity, trust and empathy are particularly important in the sensitive area of top-level appointments. Conversations about shared interests such as sport or travel create closeness - sometimes more effectively than any algorithm.

Obstacles? Resources rather than resistance

We hardly encounter any technological barriers - data protection is regulated and acceptance is high. The greater challenge lies in implementation: time and budget often limit what would have been technically possible long ago. The ideas are there - the practical integration is the bottleneck.

Outlook: Advice will be modular and AI-supported

In five years' time, consulting will be even more individualized. Customers will book more targeted modules - from market analysis to candidate evaluation. AI will take on a valuable assistance function: as a sparring partner, data analyst or copywriter. I remain convinced that executive research is a people business - no matter how powerful digital tools may be. Highly specialized knowledge, market expertise, situational sensitivity and personal responsibility cannot be outsourced. This is precisely the raison d'être of professional researchers in the future: they combine the best of both worlds - technology and human judgment.