Report 15 May 2026

Expert View: Why OpenAI (and Anthropic) Are Entering the Consulting Game

A majority of business leaders see clear value in AI by now. However, only a small percentage of organizations have fully integrated AI into their core business processes. As a result, the benefits of AI remain underwhelming for most organizations. To boost the integration of AI into enterprise environments, OpenAI launched OpenAI Deployment Co. (DeployCo) in May 2026. DeployCo is an OpenAI majority-owned and controlled subsidiary focused on helping organizations design, deploy, and scale AI systems in production environments. This move indicates an attempt to accelerate AI adoption and enter the adjacent IT services market segment. PAC believes that only a limited number of professional services firms currently possess the depth of technical, operational, and organizational capabilities required to execute enterprise AI transformations successfully. Despite its high-profile backing and partner ecosystem, DeployCo appears likely to face significant challenges in delivering complex, large-scale AI transformation initiatives effectively and consistently. And, of course, this pivot could well be viewed as part of a broader effort to make OpenAI appear as attractive as possible ahead of its IPO. Still, traditional IT service providers cannot ignore this trend.