Many enterprises have struggled to find a return on investment from adopting AI tools. In response, AI companies are now trying a new tactic to get their technology to stick by partnering with consulting firms.
This trend was highlighted when French AI research lab Mistral AI and global consulting giant Accenture announced a multiyear partnership. The deal involves the two companies working together to develop enterprise technology powered by Mistral’s AI models for clients. Financial terms and the exact duration of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the agreement, Accenture will also become a Mistral customer and roll out its technology to its own employees. While Mistral is often viewed as a smaller European counterpart to large U.S. AI companies, this partnership demonstrates its ability to secure major clients. Notably, OpenAI and Anthropic have also recently announced their own deals with Accenture.
This agreement reflects a broader pattern of AI companies increasingly aligning with consultants. For example, OpenAI just announced its Frontier Alliance initiative with four large consulting firms, including Accenture, to promote its new AI agent governance platform to enterprise customers. Anthropic has also formed partnerships with both IBM and Deloitte.
The question remains whether partnering with consulting firms will be the key to unlocking wider enterprise AI adoption. The outcome is still unclear, but AI companies are clearly determined to find out.