Disclosure. Average Robot publishes this guide, and Average Robot is one of the eleven firms in it. We have tried to describe every other firm the way it describes itself, using its own website, and we do not score or rank anyone. If a firm listed here thinks we have described it unfairly, tell us and we will correct it.
The question usually arrives after the tools are bought. The licenses have been renewed and the dashboard shows people logging in, yet someone in the leadership team is asking why the P&L looks the same as last year. At that point the search is for a firm that can help people change how they work with AI, and the market for that help is crowded and hard to read.
This guide lists eleven firms that say, on their own sites, that they help organizations adopt AI. They range from global consultancies to change management specialists to small firms built around AI at work. For each one we give what the firm says it does, who it seems built for, and one thing worth asking before you sign.
How did we choose the firms, and how do we compare them?
A firm is in this guide when all of the following hold:
- Its own website describes services that help organizations adopt AI or manage the change AI brings.
- A buyer can hire it for that work as a service, with people, and not only license software.
- Its site says clearly enough what it does that we could describe it without guessing.
We then describe each firm on the same four points. We do not turn them into a score.
| What we look at | The question it answers |
|---|---|
| What the firm says it offers | What would you be buying? |
| Who it is built for | Does the firm's own description fit the size and shape of your organization? |
| Where the work lands | Leaders, a change function, frontline teams, or technology and data? |
| One consideration | What should you ask in the first meeting? |
How the list is ordered. By type of firm, then alphabetically within each type. The order says nothing about quality. Fees are not compared because, apart from Average Robot, none of the service pages we opened lists engagement fees.
Which global consultancies offer AI change management?
These firms run large programs, often across many countries and business units. Each says it covers the people side of AI as part of wider strategy, technology or data work.
Accenture (AI and Data)
What it says it does. Accenture's AI and data practice leads with data readiness. Its services page argues that a modern data foundation comes first, then sets out work on scaling generative AI across business functions and putting responsible AI into practice. accenture.com/us-en/services/ai-data
Who it fits. Large organizations whose AI program depends on data foundations and enterprise-wide technology work.
One consideration. The page leads with data and technology. If your tools are already in place and the issue is how people use them, ask how the change work inside the engagement is staffed.
Compare: Average Robot vs Accenture AI and DataAlternatives to Accenture AI and Data
BCG X
What it says it does. BCG describes BCG X as its tech build and design unit, uniting more than 3,000 tech builders, designers and entrepreneurs, which builds new products, services and businesses using predictive AI and generative AI. bcg.com/x
Who it fits. Enterprises whose brief pairs AI strategy with a product or platform build.
One consideration. BCG X is built around building. If the AI tools already exist and adoption is the problem, ask who on the team owns the adoption work.
Deloitte (Strategic & Technology Change)
What it says it does. Deloitte's US Strategic & Technology Change practice says it helps organizations move beyond episodic change management to behavior-led transformation at scale, using AI-powered sensing alongside workforce strategy. It offers four solutions, one of them named AI adoption, plus an on-demand change service and a program for building internal change capability called Academy for Change. deloitte.com: Strategic & Technology Change
Who it fits. Large organizations that want AI adoption run as part of a wider change program, and want their own change capability built along the way.
One consideration. The practice offers several solutions and tools. Ask which of the four a proposal draws on, and who will staff it.
McKinsey (QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey)
What it says it does. McKinsey calls QuantumBlack its AI consulting arm. Its page describes helping organizations scale AI by putting the right people, processes and technology in place, under an approach it calls hybrid intelligence. The client examples on the same page include building a generative AI application and a capability-building engine for frontline staff. mckinsey.com: QuantumBlack, how we help clients
Who it fits. Enterprises that want AI strategy and scaling backed by McKinsey's wider strategy practice.
One consideration. Ask what share of the proposed work changes how people work, and what share is building technology.
Compare: Average Robot vs McKinsey QuantumBlackAlternatives to McKinsey QuantumBlack
Slalom
What it says it does. Slalom describes itself as a business, technology and AI consulting firm. Its AI page says it connects strategy, data, people and delivery so AI works across the organization, from strategy and build to ongoing AI operations, and that it supports employees in building the skills and structures to work alongside AI. slalom.com: AI consulting
Who it fits. Organizations that want one partner across AI strategy, build and day-to-day operation.
One consideration. The service menu is broad, from data engineering to platform accelerators. Ask which part of the proposal is the people work and how it is measured.
Which change management firms have an AI practice, and what are the alternatives to Prosci?
These firms come from change management first. Each now offers AI-specific work built on its existing method.
Airiodion Group Consulting
What it says it does. Airiodion describes itself as a boutique change management consultancy, led by its founder Ogbe Airiodion. It runs a four-phase change management framework that draws on Prosci ADKAR principles, and lists AI among the kinds of change it supports, alongside ERP, CRM, cloud systems and M&A. airiodion.com
Who it fits. Organizations that want hands-on boutique support for a technology implementation, AI included.
One consideration. AI is one of many change types on its site. Ask about its AI-specific work and who would lead it.
Kotter
What it says it does. Kotter, founded by Dr. John Kotter, describes itself as a strategy execution and change management consultancy. For AI, its home page describes an approach for leaders, and it runs a course, Leading Change in the Era of AI, of about 2.5 hours for leaders, managers and change practitioners, which applies its 8 Accelerators for Change framework. kotterinc.comLeading Change in the Era of AI
Who it fits. Leaders who already use, or want to use, Kotter's framework and want it applied to AI.
One consideration. The AI offer described in the most detail is the course. Ask what a consulting engagement looks like beyond it.
Related: ADKAR vs Kotter
North Highland
What it says it does. North Highland calls itself a change and transformation consultancy. Its home page frames AI work as designing the organization so AI value can be carried across it, with examples covering AI governance, operating model redesign and adoption. northhighland.com
Who it fits. Organizations that want AI change tied to operating model and governance design.
One consideration. Its AI examples span governance, operating model and adoption. Ask which of those your proposal covers.
Prosci
What it says it does. Prosci was founded in 1994 by Jeff Hiatt and is the home of the ADKAR Model. Its certification page counts more than 267,000 certified change practitioners. For AI, Prosci says it assesses the organizational impact of AI, uses a Prosci AI Adoption Framework, runs a one-day program for leaders built on an AI-specific evolution of ADKAR, and helps organizations build internal change capability. prosci.com: AI solutions for enterprisesprosci.com/certification
Who it fits. Organizations with an internal change function, or planning one, that want a shared, certifiable method.
One consideration. Much of what Prosci offers builds capability in your own people. If you need an outside team to find out why one team's AI use has stalled, ask whether the proposal is consulting, training or both.
Compare: Average Robot vs ProsciAlternatives to ProsciAI change management frameworks compared
Which boutique firms focus on the people side of AI?
These firms were built around AI at work rather than adding it to an existing practice. Average Robot is one of them.
Average Robot (the publisher of this guide)
What it says it does. Average Robot calls itself the change management firm for the AI transformation of the workplace. Its work is aimed at the AI Profitability Gap™, the gap between what a company was promised from AI and what it got. The firm is founder-led: Matt Perry, with thirty years in marketing and creative, and Rob Cannon, PhD, an organizational psychologist. They co-authored The Elephant in the Algorithm. Engagements start with a free AI Profit Readiness Assessment, then the AI Profit Workshop ($2,999, credited toward the Sprint), the AI Profit Sprint (90 days, from $19,999) and the AI Transformation Advisory, which is scoped to the organization. average-robot.com
Who it fits. CEOs, People leaders, COOs and CMOs whose teams already use AI every day, where the return has not reached the P&L.
One consideration. The two founders do the work themselves, so capacity is limited. Average Robot is not a certification body, does not run training courses and does not sell software of its own. When a job needs engineering, it brings in a build partner.
Section
What it says it does. Section describes itself as an enterprise AI training and adoption platform, a command center for Heads of AI to measure, guide and scale adoption. Alongside the platform it offers personalized AI coaching and embedded consultants, and its site also lists courses. sectionai.com
Who it fits. Organizations with a Head of AI who want to train a large workforce and track adoption over time.
One consideration. The offer is built around a platform. Ask how a proposal splits between software, courses and consultant time.
Compare: Average Robot vs Section
How do the firms compare side by side?
Each "offer" cell paraphrases the firm's own site. Ordered by type, then alphabetically. No ranking is implied.
| Firm | Type | What it says it offers | Where the work lands | AR page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture (AI and Data) | Global consultancy | Data foundations, scaling generative AI, responsible AI | Data, technology, enterprise programs | Compare |
| BCG X | Global consultancy (build unit) | Tech build and design with predictive and generative AI | New products, services and platforms | Compare |
| Deloitte (Strategic & Technology Change) | Global consultancy | AI adoption, on-demand change support, internal change capability | Change programs and the workforce | None yet |
| McKinsey (QuantumBlack) | Global consultancy | AI consulting to scale AI with people, process and technology | Strategy, builds, capability building | Compare |
| Slalom | Global consultancy | AI strategy, build and ongoing AI operations, with employee skills | Strategy through operations | None yet |
| Airiodion Group Consulting | Change management boutique | Four-phase change framework drawing on ADKAR principles | Technology implementations, AI included | None yet |
| Kotter | Change management specialist | Change consulting, plus an AI change course built on its 8 Accelerators | Leaders, managers, change practitioners | ADKAR vs Kotter |
| North Highland | Change and transformation consultancy | Organization design, governance and adoption for AI | Operating model and governance | None yet |
| Prosci | Change management specialist | AI Adoption Framework, ADKAR for AI, leader program, certification | Internal change capability | Compare |
| Average Robot (publisher) | AI-at-work change firm | Assessment, Workshop, 90-day Sprint, scoped Advisory | Leaders and the teams using AI every day | This guide |
| Section | AI adoption platform with services | Training platform, coaching, embedded consultants; its site also lists courses | Workforce training and adoption tracking | Compare |
Which firms help CHROs manage AI adoption across the workforce?
Several firms in this guide say their AI work reaches the workforce directly. Prosci describes equipping managers to guide their teams through AI-enabled workflows. Deloitte's practice pairs AI adoption with workforce communications, personalized learning and adoption measurement. Slalom says it supports employees in building the skills to work with AI. Section is built to train and coach employees at scale. Airiodion lists HR among the leaders it works with directly. Average Robot works with the C-suite, People leaders included, and carries the work through to the teams using AI every day.
The question for a CHRO is whether the firm will leave capability behind in your own people, or run the change for you. Both are reasonable. They lead to very different proposals.
How should a CEO or COO choose an AI change management firm?
Start by finding where the return is leaking. Average Robot describes AI spend turning into profit through a chain: investment, usage, direction, skill and reinvestment, which together produce the return. Most companies measure the first two links. The firm you need depends on which link is weak.
- If the tools or the data are not in place yet, the job is a build. A global consultancy or its build unit is the natural fit.
- If the tools are in place and few people use them, the job is adoption at scale. A change management specialist or a training platform fits here.
- If people use AI every day and the P&L has not moved, the weak links are direction, skill and reinvestment: what the time saved goes into, and whether people use AI well in their own jobs. That is the work Average Robot is built for, and you should hold any firm you meet to the same question.
- Before you sign, ask who will do the work by name, and how both sides will know in six months whether it worked.
If you are not sure which link is weak, the free AI Profit Readiness Assessment takes about two minutes and shows where your AI spend is paying back and where it is not.
Questions people ask.
What does an AI change management firm do?
It helps an organization change how people work once AI tools arrive. Depending on the firm, that means a method and certification for your own change team, a program run by consultants, a training platform, or a diagnostic of why AI use has stalled in a specific team. The firms in this guide cover all four.
Is Prosci still relevant for AI change management?
Yes, for organizations that want a shared method inside their own change function. Prosci now offers AI-specific work, including a Prosci AI Adoption Framework and a one-day leader program built on an AI-specific evolution of the ADKAR Model. Firms such as Average Robot, Kotter and Section approach the same problem from other directions. Our Alternatives to Prosci page covers this in more detail.
Should we hire a large consultancy or a boutique for AI adoption?
Match the size of the team to the size of the brief. A multi-country rollout with data and platform work needs a large bench. A leadership team trying to get a return from AI its people already use may not need one. In either case, ask which named people will staff the work.
How much does AI change management consulting cost?
Of the eleven firms here, only Average Robot lists engagement prices on the pages we opened: the AI Profit Readiness Assessment is free, the AI Profit Workshop is $2,999 and is credited toward the AI Profit Sprint, the Sprint starts at $19,999, and the AI Transformation Advisory is scoped to the organization. For the other firms, ask directly.
Why is Average Robot included in its own guide?
Because it is one of the firms a buyer asking this question would consider, and leaving it out would hide that from you. We disclose it at the top, describe every other firm from its own website, and do not score or rank anyone. The order is by type, then alphabetical.