What happens when AI can analyze, draft, and even advise—doing much of what knowledge workers have always done? Are knowledge jobs dying, or are they evolving into something new?
In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Pratap Khedkar, CEO of ZS, to explore how consulting—the profession built on knowledge—navigates an AI-first world. With a PhD in AI and decades advising global companies in healthcare, Pratap has a front-row seat to how the very definition of knowledge work is being reshaped.
Together, Nirit and Pratap unpack why the biggest bottleneck isn’t the technology but the humans, how asking the right questions will matter more than having the right answers, and why leadership in this era is less about strategy decks and more about role modeling, system design, and workflow architecture. They dive into what it takes to scale AI beyond pilots, why proprietary data is the real competitive edge, and how adoption hinges on trust, culture, and change management.
From specialization that AI can’t yet replicate to the risk of moving from distrust to blind trust, Pratap shares both the opportunities and the cautions that come with rethinking knowledge work. And he offers a hopeful vision for what’s next: a future where humans don’t disappear, but shift to different work—work that matters more.
If you’ve ever wondered what AI really means for consultants, analysts, or any knowledge profession, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
Guest Information:
Pratap Khedkar is the CEO of ZS and has held the position since July 2021. Prior to this, he led the firm’s global pharmaceuticals practice for nine years, as well as a practice focused on the dynamics of healthcare ecosystems. He founded and led its advanced data science capability track, which focuses on AI. He has also served on ZS’s board since 2012.
Pratap has advised numerous leading companies in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries on a wide range of sales and marketing issues, including market access and managed care, using AI for multichannel marketing, marketing mix, sales force strategy and incentive compensation. More recently, his work has focused on developing effective strategies and analytics for changing customers in the new healthcare ecosystem.
A recognized healthcare industry expert, Pratap regularly contributes his insights to publications including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Insider, Fortune, Medical Marketing & Media, NPR, Pharmaceutical Executive and others. His thought leadership work focuses on topics as diverse as healthcare policy; life sciences companies’ new commercial and organizational models; and the evolving relationships between patients, providers and payers and the life sciences organizations that serve them.
Pratap holds a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.Tech in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
Chapters:
00:00 – Are Knowledge Jobs Dying?
01:08 – From More Work to Less Work to Different Work
03:01 – What Human Value Looks Like in Consulting
05:24 – Can Specialization Save Knowledge Work from AI?
07:01 – Why Asking the Right Question Still Matters
08:36 – The Real Bottleneck in AI Adoption: Humans, Not Tech
10:15 – Why “AI Everywhere” Doesn’t Deliver Results
11:24 – How to Pick the Right AI Use Cases
13:46 – Leadership vs. Productivity: What AI Rollouts Get Wrong
15:20 – Slow Down to Speed Up: Scaling What Works
17:14 – AI in Action: Lessons from Pharma and Clinical Trials
20:04 – Turning Data into Insight and Action
23:09 – How to Drive Real AI Adoption and Trust
24:20 – Why Change Management Still Decides AI Success
25:52 – What Leaders Can Learn from First-Line Managers
27:35 – From Efficiency to New Work: Jevons Paradox Explained
29:29 – The Risk of Blind Trust in AI
31:49 – Do We Still Know How to Think Critically?
