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AI Consulting Services for UK Businesses

AI consulting that ends in shipped software

Our AI consulting service takes you from "where should we use AI?" to a costed, buildable roadmap. And because Talk Think Do is an artificial intelligence consultancy that also builds software, the same team can deliver what it recommends.

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The short version

What AI consulting covers

AI consulting covers four things: strategy (where AI adds value), readiness (whether your data, security, and skills can support it), build vs buy (the right route to a solution), and integration (how it connects to your systems and workflows). The output is a prioritised, costed roadmap you can act on.

What makes Talk Think Do different from a pure-advisory artificial intelligence consultant is that we deliver the roadmap too. Every recommendation is written by engineers who build AI systems on Microsoft Azure every week, and who publish their measured results in the AI Velocity Report.

What we do

Four questions every AI engagement answers

Strategy, readiness, build vs buy, and integration. Each one answered with evidence, not opinion.

AI strategy

Where AI genuinely adds value in your organisation, and where it does not. We map candidate use cases against business impact, feasibility, and cost, so investment goes to the opportunities that pay back.

AI readiness

An honest assessment of your data, security, skills, and governance before you commit budget. Our AI readiness checklist shows the questions we work through with you.

Build vs buy decisions

Whether an off-the-shelf tool, a Copilot customisation, or a custom build fits your use case. We give you a structured recommendation using our build vs buy framework.

Integration and delivery

How AI connects to your systems, data, and workflows: retrieval-augmented generation (RAG, retrieving your documents at query time), agents, and APIs. Because we build software, the roadmap is written by the people who will deliver it.
Which do you need?

When to use an AI consultant vs an AI development team

Start with an AI consultant when...

  • You have budget or pressure to "do AI" but no agreed use case
  • You need a business case, costs, and risks before committing
  • You are unsure whether to buy a product, customise Copilot, or build
  • Your data, security, or governance readiness is unproven

Go straight to an AI development team when...

  • The use case is already defined and funded
  • You need a proof of concept against real data, fast
  • An existing AI pilot needs hardening for production
  • You are integrating AI into software we are already building

With Talk Think Do you do not have to choose. Consulting engagements flow into AI development and implementation without a handover, and development engagements can pull in consulting whenever a strategic question surfaces.

How it works

Our AI consulting process

From first workshop to a costed roadmap in two to four weeks, with delivery as the optional fourth step.

Step One 1 week

Discovery

We work with your stakeholders to understand your goals, systems, data, and constraints. Together we shortlist the AI use cases with the strongest business case and the clearest path to production.

Step Two 1-2 weeks

Readiness Assessment

We assess your data quality, security posture, governance, and team skills against the shortlisted use cases. You receive a clear view of what is ready now, what needs preparation, and what the gaps will cost to close.

Step Three

Roadmap

You receive a prioritised AI roadmap: recommended use cases, build vs buy decisions, target architecture on Azure, indicative costs, and a delivery plan. It is written to be actionable, whether we deliver it or your own team does.

Step Four

Delivery

Unlike pure-advisory firms, we can take the roadmap into production. Our AI development and implementation team builds, integrates, and supports the solution, so the consulting ends in shipped software rather than a slide deck.

Evidence

Advice grounded in measured delivery

We publish what most consultancies keep private, so you can check our claims before you engage us.

The AI Velocity Report

Our quarterly report on AI-augmented delivery: 84% of our code is AI-authored, every line is reviewed by senior engineers, and delivery is measured at 40-50% faster than traditional methods.

FundingImpact.AI case study

From an ambitious idea to a production AI platform on Azure OpenAI: translating community activities into evidence-based impacts so charities and funders can make better decisions.

Seen enough? Let's talk through your requirements.

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FAQ

AI consulting: frequently asked questions

What does an AI consultant actually do?

An AI consultant helps you decide where AI will genuinely add value, whether your organisation is ready for it, and how to deliver it. In practice that means:

  • Identifying and prioritising use cases
  • Assessing data, security, and skills readiness
  • Making build vs buy recommendations
  • Producing a costed roadmap and target architecture

At Talk Think Do, the same team can then build what the roadmap describes.

How much does AI consulting cost?

Our AI engagements start from £19,000, with a readiness assessment typically taking 1-2 weeks. Delivery beyond the roadmap depends on scope: a focused proof of concept starts at around £30,000, while enterprise-wide AI programmes can reach £300,000+. See our pricing guide for more detail.

How long does an AI readiness assessment take?

Typically 1-2 weeks. We assess your data quality, security posture, governance, and team skills against your shortlisted use cases, then deliver a written report with prioritised recommendations. Larger organisations with many systems or strict compliance requirements may need slightly longer.

What is the difference between AI consulting and AI development?

AI consulting is the thinking: strategy, readiness, build vs buy, roadmap, and architecture. AI development is the doing: building, integrating, testing, and supporting the software. Many firms offer one or the other. Talk Think Do offers both, so the advice you receive is grounded in what our engineers deliver in production every week.

Do you implement the roadmap, or just hand it over?

Either. The roadmap is written to be actionable by any competent team, and you own every deliverable. Most clients ask us to deliver it because the consultants and the engineers are the same organisation, which removes the usual handover gap. Our FundingImpact.AI case study shows that path from idea to production platform.

Is our data safe during an AI consulting engagement?

Yes. We are ISO 27001 certified and Cyber Essentials Plus accredited, and any solution we recommend keeps your data within your own Azure tenancy and security boundary. Access controls, audit trails, and content safety are part of every architecture we propose, not optional extras.

AI insights

See how AI is changing how we build software

Our quarterly AI Velocity Report tracks real delivery metrics from live projects: how much of our code is AI-authored, how delivery timelines compare to baseline, and which tools are making a measurable difference. No marketing spin, just honest data from a team that builds software every day.

Read the latest AI Velocity Report
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Get started

Ready for AI advice you can act on?

Start with a free consultation. We will discuss your goals, give you an honest view of your readiness, and outline what a roadmap engagement would cover.

Book a free consultation

or call 01202 006729