Consultants have found an unlikely new career path: policing AI

Consulting firms have gone all in on AI.Their consultants, however, are not all comfortable with that.Some consultants are leaving the big firms for roles in AI safety and governance.As consulting firms rapidly remake themselves to leverage AI, a small but growing number of consultants are leaving to rein it in.Instead of joining the broader exodus to tech, these consultants are focusing on the risks that AI systems, from chatbots to agents, pose to society.Namaan Mian, the chief operating officer of Management Consulted, a company that trains and prepares students and others for careers in consulting, said his firm has been tracking where former consultants land after leaving the industry. Roles in software development, operations at startups, IT, and, increasingly, venture capital and private equity remain primary destinations for former consultants, he said.While moves into nonprofit and government roles, or smaller startups focused on regulating the technology, haven't appeared in the data yet, Mian said that "anecdotally," the field is gaining popularity.Sarah Pomeranz, a former Accenture consultant, is now the founder and CEO of Consultants for Impact, a nonprofit that helps consultants transition into careers focused on pressing global problems.