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Junior consultants called back to office as AI raises the price of interpersonal skills

8/27/2026

The constraint in professional services has shifted.

Artificial intelligence has taken on analytical work that previously occupied junior consultants in their early years, and executives say the effect has been a rise in the relative value of interpersonal skills, the category AI has not absorbed.

The operational response is a pull back toward in-person work for junior staff. Interpersonal skills are learned through proximity.

Adjusting a pitch when a client pushes back, or navigating ambiguity in a live meeting: these develop by observation and repetition alongside senior practitioners.

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