---
id: "quote-bolting-on-ai"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ Why Firms Will Resist Change"]
tags: ["incumbent-inertia", "strategy"]
related: ["claim-incumbent-resistance", "concept-innovators-dilemma-consulting"]
speaker: "David S. Duncan, Tyler Anderson and Jeffrey Saviano"
speakers: ["David S. Duncan", "Tyler Anderson", "Jeffrey Saviano"]
sources: ["reskilling"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-reskilling"
originDay: 10
articleStem: "hbr-edu-44-ai-changing-consulting-structure"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/09/ai-is-changing-the-structure-of-consulting-firms"
sourceTitle: "AI Is Changing the Structure of Consulting Firms"
---
# Bolting AI Onto Old Models

> "These symptoms all point to a deeper issue: treating AI as a tool to bolt onto the old model rather than a reason to re-architect it from first principles."

— [[entity-david-s-duncan]], [[entity-tyler-anderson]], and [[entity-jeffrey-saviano]]

The thesis statement for [[claim-incumbent-resistance]] and the [[concept-innovators-dilemma-consulting]]. It sets up the corrective action [[action-rearchitect-first-principles]] and the warning in [[contrarian-ai-investment-is-not-enough]].