SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The air in the boardroom smelled like ozone and expensive cologne. A man in a navy blue Patagonia vest stood at the head of the long mahogany table. He held a laser pointer like a weapon. On the screen behind him, a complex pie chart showed exactly how much money a company could save by firing people who make pie charts. The silence in the room was heavy and cost roughly eighty dollars per second.

By firing people who make pie charts. The silence in the room was heavy and cost roughly eighty dollars per second., AI Bee Reel Staff

Preston Vandelay, a senior partner at a major consulting firm, wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. He spent the next forty minutes reading bullet points directly off the screen. The slide deck explained that OpenAI’s new AI agents can instantly create slide decks without human help. Vandelay paused to open a bottle of Fiji water. He then billed the room for the time it took to unscrew the cap. The presentation reportedly cost more than a mid-sized sedan.

“It takes a human touch to explain why humans are useless,” said Tricia Bonecutter, VP of Synergy Optimization, adjusting her rimless glasses. “We hired these guys to help us sell our AI agents to big companies. The AI is smart, sure. But can it wear a fleece vest and use the word ‘paradigm’ three times in one sentence? No. Only a billing expert can do that while keeping a straight face.”

Vandelay finished the presentation, then asked the AI to summarize his own billable hours, which the AI did for free in three seconds.

Inspired by the real story: OpenAI is partnering with consulting giants like McKinsey to help drive adoption of its AI agent platform in the enterprise sector. Read the full story.