BCG's AI Assembly Line: Every Company Must Become Tech Company

Boston Consulting Group has launched an internal research and development lab to develop AI-based technology for facilitating its work. The firm operates on a bottom-up model where frontline consultants generate innovations, creating approximately 36,000 custom GPTs globally.

BCG's AI innovation occurs at three distinct levels: data engineering driven by data engineers, a middle layer where consultants build tools for client projects, and a top layer of executives developing firm-wide tools. The firm employs 'forward-deployed consultants' who build tools directly for clients using a mix of external coding platforms and internal resources, including OpenAI's ChatGPT.

New tools undergo rigorous screening by red teams for security vulnerabilities, data protection reviews, legal checks, and information security assessments before entering a central marketplace. BCG maintains an enablement network of approximately 1,000 employees from every department who train the firm on AI and serve as intelligence gatherers, meeting monthly to share insights.

Scott Wilder, a Dallas-based partner at the firm, stated that Boston Consulting Group is "all in" on creating AI tools. Approximately 15 months ago, the firm launched an internal research and development lab as one of several ways it develops new AI-based technology. Wilder emphasized that "Every company has to become a tech company," noting that "BCG is no exception."

The consulting industry has undergone a significant transformation since OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT in 2022. Consulting firms, once known for strategy and advisory services, are shifting toward building, implementing, and maintaining AI tools for clients. Wilder, who studied computer science at the University of Texas - Austin, described it as fascinating to see a services firm shift this way.

BCG invests heavily in developing new AI-based tools. Consultants at the firm have built tens of thousands of custom AI agents for client projects. The firm bills itself as the No. 1 creator of custom GPTs globally.

Generative AI innovation at BCG happens at three levels according to Wilder:

Data Level: Driven by data engineers, this phase leverages internal proprietary data. BCG builds MCP servers and agents on top of internal and selected public data sources so AI tools can automatically pull the right information at the right time. This represents a shift where model intelligence is increasingly tied to knowing which data to use and when.

Middle Layer: Innovation comes from consultants building tools and agents for client projects. When a tool proves successful, it returns to the R&D team, which integrates it into a central marketplace for the rest of the firm to use.

Top Layer: Executives develop firm-wide tools. These include:

• Deckster - a slideshow editor trained on 800 to 900 slide templates that helps consultants quickly create presentations
• Ava - an internal help tool for IT issues, HR questions, and other internal requests
• GENE - a conversational chatbot used for presentations, podcasts, and publicity initiatives

The firm has approximately seven or eight tools at this top level.

BCG employs a team of forward-deployed consultants, a role inspired by forward-deployed engineers popularized by Palantir. These consultants are vibe-coding and building tools for clients. Wilder explained the approach: "We put our best of the best globally on cases, and they build reusable things. That then goes back to the R&D team."

Innovation happens at the "rock face" on case teams rather than centrally. These consultants rely on a mix of external coding platforms and internal resources to build tools, including OpenAI's ChatGPT.

The firm's new R&D team works on disseminating these innovations internally. When the R&D team launched about 15 months ago, its mandate was to build knowledge graphs from the firm's slide decks, transcripts, and other internal documents. Knowledge graphs organize and connect data across multiple sources, extracting not just words but also concepts and sentiments from meeting transcripts.

BCG has established a comprehensive review process for new tools. Wilder stated that new tools are screened by BCG's red teaming team, which simulates adversarial exercises to address security vulnerabilities. Tools also undergo review by the data protection office to ensure compliance with data privacy laws, legal review, and information security assessment.

Once approved, tools pass to the marketplace team, which integrates them into a central repository. An orchestration agent helps people understand the best tools and data to use within BCG.

The firm prides itself on its bottom-up approach to innovation. Approximately 80% of custom GPTs come from the front line. New ideas also surface through the "enablement network," a team of about 1,000 people from every department including human resources and legal. This team functions as learning and development coordinators, training the firm on AI, and serves as "eyes and ears," meeting monthly to share ideas and insights.

BCG now operates much like a traditional product organization. Between dedicated product teams and a UX Center of Excellence, which constantly evaluates what works and identifies which agents need to be built through frontline user research, insights feed back to product owners who funnel them into a centralized crowdsourcing pipeline. As Wilder summarized, "we're doing all the things you'd expect a product organization to do."