Deloitte is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the shift toward an AI-first approach in the consulting industry, according to Jillian Wanner, a principal at the firm.
Wanner, speaking at Nvidia’s GTC conference, emphasized that Deloitte is moving towards an “engineering-first mindset.” She noted that consultants are now expected to leverage generative AI to automate various tasks. This shift involves a cultural change within the company, and Deloitte has already introduced several AI-powered tools to facilitate this evolution.
“It is no longer acceptable at Deloitte to not take an engineering first mindset,” said Wanner, who also leads AI staff development at Deloitte. She added that employees now need to function as “technologists and engineers first,” with their consulting roles following.
Deloitte, a major provider for the federal government, is investing heavily in transforming itself, and its clients, with generative AI. The firm secures roughly $3.3 billion annually through federal contracts, accounting for nearly 10% of its 2024 fiscal year revenue.
Wanner highlighted a notable increase in the implementation of generative AI among Deloitte’s federal clients over the last six to twelve months. “There has been a wholehearted embrace of rethinking about what are the things we do today that require intensive, manual, rote steps,” she stated. She pointed out that these AI solutions can automate numerous functions, from administrative duties to documentation, and noted “There’s a significant amount of low-hanging fruit that could translate into some pretty significant value.”
To support this transition, Deloitte has launched a range of AI-powered tools in recent years. In 2023, the company introduced “DARTbot,” an internal chatbot designed to provide insights to the firm’s nearly 18,000 Audit & Assurance professionals in the U.S. Additionally, Deloitte has rolled out “purpose-specific” large language models and chatbots to support specialized teams. Last January, the company also revealed “NavigAite,” a generative AI tool, which aids with tasks like document summarization and review.
In January, Deloitte also launched an internal AI chatbot for its 75,000 employees in the Middle East, Europe, and the U.K., to streamline tasks such as writing emails and creating project plans. The consulting firm has also partnered with Nvidia to deploy digital AI agents and is collaborating with the chipmaker on new reasoning models and software.
Deloitte principal Jillian Wanner spoke about the transformation Deloitte is going through as the consulting industry shifts to an AI-first mindset.
