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Announcing his new board roles at two AI-focused boutiques, Mr Ball argued that smaller, more nimble start-ups have an edge.

“If you’re really big there are lots of challenges about driving that extent of cultural change,” He stated.

Mr Ball explained that despite having the resources to invest heavily in AI, persuading vast numbers of staff and different business units to adapt in unison is a major hurdle for the largest firms. This creates an opportunity for mid-sized and boutique companies that can build AI into their operating models without being hampered by legacy structures, Financial Times reports.

Mr Ball is set to become the non-executive chair of IntellixCore, an AI start-up co-founded by former PwC partners, and will also join the board of Chicago-based AI consultancy Quantum Rise. IntellixCore recently announced a partnership with the top-10 firm RSM, which Mr Ball said aims to “re-architect how a professional services firm actually operates”.

He believes it is crucial for consultancies to embrace this change internally. “Physician, heal thyself,” he remarked. “If you’re an accounting, consulting or professional services firm and you’re not doing the AI adoption yourself, it’s pretty tricky to go and tell someone else that this is really important.”

Addressing the economic impact, Mr Ball predicts some initial job losses as AI is integrated, but expects employment to “quickly rebound” as new roles emerge. He also contended that the UK should focus its strategy on AI adoption across industries, rather than attempting to compete directly with technology giants like Meta and OpenAI in AI development.