“AI Is Not a Technology Platform – It Is a Business Platform”

AI is transforming both the way customers do business and the rules of the game for the consulting industry as a whole. For leaders, the challenge is no longer simply to add a new technical skill, but to run the organization with the same data-driven logic they offer their customers.

Cinode has interviewed Zakaria Bennani, Head of Hybrid Cloud and AI at Telia Cygate, about how AI is shifting the fokus from technology platforms to business outcomes, and what this means for consulting firms that want to remain relevant in the years ahead.

– AI creates a capability that can be applied directly to the business. It is not a technology platform, but a business platform, says Zakaria.

It is a statement that captures the shift currently underway. As AI evolves into a business platform, it is changing not only the customer dialogue, but also how consulting firms need to run their own businesses.

From Technology Projects to Business Outcomes

Zakaria describes how the conversation with customers has fundamentally changed. In the past, discussions focused on products, vendors, and technical specifications. Today, they start with the bottlenecks in the business.

Together with Accenture, Telia Cygate has implemented AI-driven operations planning in healthcare in Stockholm. At a large hospital, the number of surgeries increased by just over one percent – more than 400 additional surgeries per year.

– Patients no longer had to be moved from their scheduled surgery slots. Care improved, while overtime was reduced. It is a perfect example of how AI can be applied directly to the core business, says Zakaria.

That is where the value is created. And that is where the consulting business is won or lost.

When delivery is tied to the business’s actual KPIs, rather than just technical performance, consulting firms also need to evolve how they run their own businesses. Being able to demonstrate how the right skills drive measurable results will be critical.

New Demands on Skills and Leadership

As AI becomes embedded in core business operations, consulting firms are increasingly speaking to different decision-makers on the customer side.

– Today, we often talk to a Chief Digital Officer or a dedicated AI lead. That is a very different type of counterpart than before.

This means technical expertise alone is no longer enough. Consultants need business understanding, change management skills, and the ability to translate technology into business value. At the same time, leadership needs a clear view of the skills and capabilities that actually exist within the organization.

Zakaria describes how the company is working in parallel on upskilling existing consultants and recruiting new profiles.

– We are upskilling the consultants we already have, particularly those working with cloud services. But we have also realized that our sales team needs a very different kind of upskilling to be able to have the right conversations about this.

For consulting leaders, this is becoming a strategic issue. In a market where AI skills are in short supply, it is no longer enough to have a general idea of what experience exists within the company. Decisions about investments, recruitment, and business direction need to be based on structured skills data and a clear view of current capacity and future needs.

From Billing to Shared Risk

AI is also changing business models.

– The question is, what should we actually measure? Which KPI matters most to the business? That is what we should be improving, says Zakaria.

When the delivery directly impacts outcomes such as the number of surgeries performed or energy consumption in a production process, it opens the door to shared-risk models.

– In the future, we could very well see more shared risk. If the outcome is positive, we share in the upside, and if things don’t turn out as planned, we share in the consequences as well.

But sharing risk requires control. Control over the right mix of skills, utilization, and delivery capacity. Consulting firms that lack transparency into their own organization will struggle to take on these types of engagements.

A Bright Future for the Right Skills

When we ask about the future of the consulting industry in the AI era, Zakaria is optimistic, but measured.

– There is a shortage of the right people. We spoke to a customer who said, ‘We are swimming in money, but we can’t find the people we need.’ That says quite a lot.

He believes the new skills are too expensive for many organizations to keep in-house, while the field is evolving so rapidly that flexibility is becoming critical. This creates a natural market for consulting firms that can provide the right skills at the right time.

– The consulting industry in this area probably has a pretty bright future. But it requires practice. You don’t run a marathon by sitting on the couch and then putting on your running shoes when the time comes.

Telia Cygate has chosen to maintain its senior profile while having a clear approach to developing junior talent. In an industry where demand for AI expertise is growing rapidly, that strategy could prove to be a significant competitive advantage.