The rise of on-demand leadership in the AI economy

Rather than defaulting to full-time executive roles that command lofty salaries and long-term overhead, companies are increasingly turning to experienced consultants, strategists, and advisors to provide leadership on a limited and targeted basis.

This is not a dilution of leadership, but a recalibration of where experience delivers the most value.

According to LinkedIn’s latest Jobs on the Rise report, the fastest-growing roles in the U.S. economy sit at the intersection of AI and strategy. AI engineers claimed the top spot, while AI consultants and strategists ranked No. 2 overall. Strategic advisors and consultants also placed in the top 10. Together, the data show that as execution becomes cheaper, human judgment becomes more valuable.

The underlying driver is the implementation gap. After years of AI experimentation, organizations are struggling to convert tools into returns. While they do not lack models or software, many lack orchestration. Companies are increasingly turning to AI consultants and strategists to align technology with business realities, governance, and incentives, work that requires credibility, cross-functional fluency, and the kind of judgment typically associated with senior leadership roles.

The labor market now reflects a clear division of labor. Demand is rising simultaneously for full-time technical AI talent and for senior professionals who can translate those capabilities into business outcomes. As companies scale internal AI teams, they are increasingly relying on external advisors and consultants to provide the judgment required to direct that work at critical moments.

The supply side of this shift is shaped by organizational reality. Executives continue to make daily decisions, but AI has concentrated risk into fewer, more complex, and higher-impact choices around operating models, capital allocation, and governance. Rather than expanding permanent headcount, companies are bringing in experienced external leaders to guide those decisions when the stakes are highest.

The economics reinforce the model. Although senior advisors and consultants often command higher hourly rates, their total annual cost is typically a fraction of a comparable full-time executive role because they are engaged for a limited scope and time. Just as important, this approach allows organizations to draw on multiple forms of expertise rather than binding themselves to a single permanent hire.

The talent profile filling these roles is equally telling. Many of these advisors are former founders, CEOs, and COOs. Experience functions as a filter. LinkedIn’s data shows that many of the fastest-growing strategic roles carry a median of eight or more years of experience. These are not entry-level positions, but mid- or second-act careers for professionals with deep industry context.

The rise of founders and independent consultants on the Jobs on the Rise list also signals that this shift is driven by talent behavior, not just employer demand. Senior professionals are increasingly opting for career paths that offer autonomy, variety, and the opportunity to leverage their skills rather than committing to a single organization in an uncertain environment.

As AI automates and cheapens execution, the market value of human judgment, strategy, and accountability rises. As a result, pricing power shifts from doing the work to deciding what work should be done and how it should scale.

In this environment, experience is the moat. What is often described as “fractional leadership” is better understood as the unbundling of executive judgment from full-time roles. Over time, this model is likely to become not a stopgap but a structural response to the redistribution of value, risk, and expertise in the AI economy.