**The big picture:** Global advisory firm Stout has acquired Flightline, an agentic AI company, after a year of co-development to embed AI into its professional services workflows. **Why it matters:** This acquisition signals a growing trend of professional services firms leveraging AI to enhance efficiency, analysis, and client delivery, impacting how talent is utilized and developed. **Between the lines:** - Stout and Flightline co-developed AI-enabled workflows for over 12 months. - The acquisition aims to build an AI-enabled workbench for research, analysis, and client advisory. - AI integration is designed to augment human judgment, allowing professionals to focus on complex client interactions. **Staffing & HR impact:** This move highlights the evolving skill sets required in professional services, emphasizing the need for talent comfortable collaborating with AI tools and focusing on high-value client engagement. It also suggests a shift in how firms optimize their workforce capacity and expertise. **The bottom line:** Expect more professional services firms to acquire or deeply integrate AI solutions to redefine operational efficiency and talent deployment.