AI is rapidly lowering the cost of technical development, causing the primary career opportunity to shift from building software to exercising judgment. While external AI agencies thrived during early adoption, the market is migrating toward internal roles where employees identify high-value business bottlenecks and automate them to drive measurable corporate growth. This transition from technical implementer to in-house consultant mirrors a broader emergence of Chief AI Officer roles, which are seeing significant adoption among major firms. The central tension lies in whether this internal consulting model will become a standard professional track or remain an informal function for early adopters.

You are likely better off formalizing an "internal consultant" role within your current firm than attempting to compete in the crowded external agency market. By quantifying time saved as if it were a full-time hire, you can build a business case that is difficult for management to ignore.