The 2026 AI Consulting Trends Report

Why this is the year to go all in, and what’s actually working right now

January 12, 2026
Read Time: 8 minutes

Let’s start with the obvious: the market for AI consulting is exploding. The Google Trends graph says it all, searches for “AI consulting” are now dramatically outpacing “management consulting,” and it’s only going to accelerate from here. There’s never been a better time to get in, start a new business, and help companies solve real problems with AI. The demand is off the charts, and the market is hungry for people who can actually deliver.

What’s Changed Since Last Year?

Last year, there was a lot of hype, a lot of adoption, and a lot of failure. Companies jumped into AI, tried to automate everything, and most of it didn’t work. Why? Because they focused on edge cases, didn’t plan for maintenance, or just didn’t know what they were doing.

Now, the market is maturing. Companies are starting to understand what AI can actually do. They’re getting smarter about use cases, and they want consultants who can deliver real results, not just shiny demos.

One big shift: every implementation roadmap now needs to include employee training and education. It’s not enough to drop in a tool and hope for the best. You have to make the team AI-native, comfortable, and confident. That’s why every one of my recommendations now includes a training component.

New Tools, Platforms, and What’s Overhyped

The tool landscape is wild right now. Gemini 3 is a game-changer for design and rapid prototyping. It lets you create beautiful, functional things with AI, websites, assets, you name it. You can sell a $5,000 website that costs you pennies to build, and clients are thrilled. (hot tip check out aura.build)

But here’s the truth: most new tools are overhyped. There’s a new “game-changing” platform every week. My advice? Pick your stack and go deep. For us, it’s N8N for automations, Perplexity for research, Claude for copywriting and ChatGPT for everything else. We stick with robust, proven solutions. Don’t get distracted by every shiny new thing.

How Clients Buy (and What They Expect) in 2026

Clients are a little more educated, maybe a bit more skeptical if they’ve tried and failed before. But the urgency is only increasing. Most haven’t even tried AI yet, and the ones who have are now looking for real ROI, not just experiments.

The biggest new expectation? They want you to help their team actually use the tools. Training and onboarding are now a must-have, not a nice-to-have.

What’s Working for Lead Generation and Outreach?

It’s still a total blue ocean. There are so few people positioned as true AI consultants that just showing up and talking about what you do is enough to get clients.

• LinkedIn is still the best channel for most people. You can get your first clients there, no question.

• Cold email works, especially as you scale.

• Ads are starting to work for those who want to go bigger.

• And don’t sleep on YouTube, even a raw, niche-focused channel talking about your industry’s pain points and AI solutions can bring in leads.

The key is to be specific. Talk about the problems you solve, not just “AI” in general.

Pricing, Packaging, and Offer Structure

Clients are open to all models, retainers, productized services, performance-based deals. The best approach is to have an upfront payment for implementation, then a retainer for ongoing support and optimization.

If you’re in a niche, productize your solutions. Build a library of automations that you can sell over and over. For lead gen or sales automations, you can even do performance-based pricing, take a cut of the uplift you generate.

The market is maturing, and clients are willing to pay for results. Just make sure you’re tying your price to real business value.

The Biggest Mistake: Overthinking and Inaction

This hasn’t changed. The people who get results are the ones who follow the process and do the work. Everyone I’m working with who’s actually executing is getting deals. The ones who aren’t are the ones trying to shortcut the process, skip the legwork, or overthink every step.

The hack of life is that the long way around is the shortcut. Do the work, follow the roadmap, and you’ll get there faster than you think.

The Most Exciting Opportunity in 2026

Everything is exciting right now. There are AI consulting practices aiming for $100 BILLION! Every niche is wide open. The business model, audits, implementations, retainers, staying on as an advisor, is a huge, huge opportunity.

The only niches that are a little tougher are the super tech-savvy ones, like SaaS or tech-forward companies. But everywhere else? The opportunity is massive. Pick a niche you’re passionate about and go deep.

Community Wins That Prove the Trends

Zohour landed her first audit, then got brought back for a $64,000 implementation, with a second phase bringing the total to $125K. Frank just closed three accountancy practices. Antonia finished her first audit and has an £80,000+ implementation pipeline. These are just a few of the wins I’m seeing every week.

My #1 Piece of Advice for 2026

Take action. Seriously. This is the single greatest opportunity to get involved with AI without being technical. The technical side is only getting easier. The real skill is diagnosing businesses, finding the expensive problems, and helping them solve them.

If you’re sitting on the sidelines, now is the time to dive in. The market is exploding, and the people who move fast are the ones who win.

Final Thought:
2026 is the year of the AI consultant. The market is growing faster than anyone expected, and the window is wide open. Don’t overthink it. Pick your stack, pick your niche, and get to work.

If you want help getting started, building your offer, or closing your first deal, book a call with me (Book a 1:1 strategy call here). Let’s make this your year.

See you next week,

– Andrew

P.S. Ready to build your own Vibe Consulting business? Book a 1:1 strategy call here to see if you're a good fit for my personal coaching program.

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