A good AI consultant leaves you more capable than they found you. A bad one leaves you dependent on them, with a shiny tool you cannot run without a retainer. The difference shows up in the questions you ask before signing.
What to look for
- Business fluency, not just technical - do they start with your problems or their product?
- Vendor-neutral advice - do they recommend what fits you, or what they resell?
- Knowledge transfer - will your team be able to run this without them?
- Realistic promises - do they talk in measured pilots, or guaranteed transformation?
- Evidence - can they point to comparable businesses, not just logos?
Beware the dependency trap
If the plan makes you permanently reliant on the consultant, that is a business model, not a strategy. The best engagements build your internal capability - the same reason we argue you can build an AI strategy without a data science team.
The bottom line
Choose AI consultants for business fluency, neutral advice and knowledge transfer - and walk away from anyone selling dependency or guaranteed miracles. Knowing enough to judge them well is exactly what the Understanding AI: What Leaders Need to Know course at London School of Business UK gives you. Enquire today.