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Secret Project: AI Learns the Consulting Game

For decades, management consultants have been the go-to experts for solving business problems: analyzing data, writing reports, and building the kind of slide decks that can cost clients millions.

But now, the very people who built that industry are teaching AI how to do their jobs.

According to Bloomberg, about 150 ex-consultants from top firms like McKinsey, Bain, and Boston Consulting Group have joined a secretive project called Argentum.

Their mission: to train AI models like Google’s Gemini to handle the entry-level work typically done by junior consultants - building PowerPoints, summarizing case studies, and drafting strategy proposals.

The project is being led by a US startup called Mercor, which is now valued around $10B. Mercor pays professionals around $110 an hour to review data, correct AI outputs, and teach the models to “think” like consultants.

It’s a shift in direction: for years, AI has been automating factory lines and office paperwork. Now it’s climbing higher, taking on white-collar work that demands reasoning, communication, and analysis.

And the consulting industry, worth hundreds of billions globally, may be one of the first to feel the impact.

The “AI Aunt” Fighting Gender Violence

South African entrepreneur Leonora Tima went through a traumatic experience 5 years ago: her 19-year-old relative was tragically murdered at nine months pregnant, her body left on the roadside. 😔

The incident pushed Leonora to build Grit, a mobile app that helps women record and report abuse in real time. The app’s main attraction is Zuzi, an AI chatbot she calls an “AI aunt”.

Zuzi acts as a first line of comfort for victims - someone they can talk to without fear of judgment, who listens and gently guides users to help. ❤️

Leonora and her small team worked with township communities to design the app. They spoke to more than 800 people about their experiences - how they used their phones, why they didn’t report abuse, and what would make them feel safe.

What they learned shaped Grit’s core features:

• On the home screen is a large help button that records 20s of audio and alerts an emergency call center. A trained responder then calls back or dispatches help.

• “The vault” lets users securely store photos or recordings of abuse - all encrypted and timestamped for use in legal cases.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. Now used by more than 13,000 people, Grit processed nearly 10,000 requests for help last month alone.

Men are using Zuzi too - some to ask for help managing anger, others to talk about their own experiences as victims. “People feel less judged when speaking to AI,” Leonora notes. “It can be a bridge to real help.”

So… You Jamming to AI Pop Now? 🎤

Something new is happening on the Billboard charts: every week for the past month, at least one AI-generated artist has made it onto the list.

This includes AI-generated artists like Xania Monet and Juno Skye. They’re fully digital creations made with AI music tools - but their songs are getting millions of streams, radio airplay, and even record deals worth millions.

It’s a big shift for music: fans seem happy to listen, while real artists worry that AI is copying their voices and styles without credit. Are you jamming to AI tunes yet?