PwC standardises AI delivery

PwC is drafting a global playbook to make its consulting work more uniform across countries as artificial intelligence rewires how client projects get done. (cityam.com) The plan would standardise services across PwC’s network and route more work through shared teams in lower-cost hubs including India, according to people familiar with the effort cited by the Financial Times and other outlets. (luxtimes.lu) PwC UK made an early move on Tuesday, April 14, telling staff it would merge its risk and consulting divisions, while leaving deal advisory separate. Marco Amitrano, PwC UK’s senior partner, said the change was “about global alignment.” (cityam.com) PwC and its Big Four rivals are not run like a single multinational company. They are networks of locally owned partnerships, and that structure can produce uneven service when several country firms work on the same cross-border client. (luxtimes.lu) Artificial intelligence is pushing that problem into the open. PwC said on March 19 that its new “PwC One” platform is meant to combine firm knowledge, methods and autonomous artificial intelligence tools so teams can deliver work with more speed, scale and consistency. (pwc.com) PwC’s own numbers show why the firm has room to invest in a redesign. The network reported $55.4 billion in revenue for the year ended June 30, 2024, employed more than 370,000 people in 149 countries, and said it had invested nearly $1.5 billion in artificial intelligence globally. (pwc.com) The pressure is not spread evenly across the firm. City A.M. reported that PwC UK’s consulting revenue fell 3 per cent in its latest results, and its risk division also declined 3 per cent. (cityam.com) Mohamed Kande, who became PwC’s global chair in July 2024 after leading advisory businesses in the United States, Mexico and Japan, has pushed for tighter integration across the network. Reports say he has stopped short of more radical restructuring that could provoke resistance from national firms. (pwc.com) (luxtimes.lu) Rivals have wrestled with the same problem. Ernst & Young tried to separate and list its consulting business in a plan known as Project Everest, but the proposal collapsed after disputes inside the partnership. (luxtimes.lu) PwC’s answer is narrower: common methods, common staffing plans and more shared technology, without trying to tear up the partnership model that has governed the firm for decades. (cityam.com)