The growth equation for professional firms: AI + EI = ROI
For professional services, the issue of the moment – and a defining issue for the future – is how we make the most of artificial intelligence. AI is a powerful tool that can unlock huge productivity gains for firms, but the unique nature of the human touch remains vital.
We believe that the filter of emotional intelligence is a critical counterbalance against the impersonal and artificial nature of AI, and to maximise the impact of AI, we need an equal measure of EI. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in our working lives, firms that build client relationships on genuine connection and shared interests will create the most lasting value.
In our first event of 2026, ‘The growth equation for professional firms: AI + EI = ROI’, we engaged in an informal, collaborative dialogue with marketing and business development leaders from major UK and global professional firms to explore how to get the balance right, and the impact doing so may have on our sector.
Here are some key takeaways from what was an inspiring and thought-provoking discussion.
Partner fluency is key
Partners are a professional firm’s salesforce, and as experts in their field of law or finance, they instinctively want to feel confident about issues that are key to the sector. As such, ensuring Partners are fluent about how your firm is deploying AI and the implications of doing so is fundamental to its success.
Navigating downward price pressure
Some clients think AI equals immediate efficiency, not accounting for the additional training and quality control involved when integrating new technology. This downward pricing pressure can be navigated by being clear about how services are augmented, not replaced, by AI, and dialling up the human EI element as a key differentiator. As recent news suggests, this is an issue that’s only going to intensify.
How AI can create more capacity for experts, not replace them
One delegate made the point that AI can allow us to “Do more with what we have, rather than the same with less.” Some firms are seeing that, with the adoption of AI, they need more people, not less, to maximise its impact over the long term.
AI can be a tool for scaling
Rather than being a tool that inevitably leads to the reduction in headcount, some firms are finding that the deployment of AI requires more people to experiment with and stress test platforms. AI isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Upskilling, which requires more time and human resources, is needed for integration to be done effectively.
The vital importance of governance
How we govern the use and misuse of AI is a defining issue for firms today and will be in the future. As the use of and access to AI proliferate across teams, sometimes, crucial decisions about AI use are being made at individual desks – not at the higher decision-making level. That needs to be kept in check with firm-wide governance, decisions on investment and policy frameworks.
Quality control
The balance of opinion suggested that time spent on quality control processes is expanding, not shrinking, with the integration of AI platforms; in some cases, almost completely mitigating the time-saving gains.
Psychological impact
The transformational change created by AI has had a psychological impact, which one contributor described as a genuine fear of what AI growth may actually mean. That fear can place an emotional load on some people, which may require additional training and support firm-wide.
Our view
So, to show our workings for the growth equation, it’s our view that AI can help with myriad problems facing professionals – particularly leaders and teams who are time poor. It’s a supremely powerful and flexible tool for improving productivity and efficiency. However, AI is not all-powerful. It is fallible, and we need to be alert to those limitations when using it.
One key downside is when it is overused for communications. Communications created solely by AI have the smell of artificiality about them, and organic, human connection, driven by emotional intelligence, is something that is irreplaceable.
To reach the ROI conclusion of our growth equation, ensure human involvement throughout the AI process. Good AI output requires good human input and scrutiny, so embed these within and throughout your policy and governance frameworks. By combining the efficiency of AI with a human touch, firms can strike the right balance.
Thank you to all of the delegates who joined us for this insightful event.
If you’d like to join us for future events, you can register your interest and get early access to our events here.
