How AI Consultants Are Changing the Game (and How You Can Too)
Without a doubt, AI is becoming integral to business strategy, and with it has emerged a niche role: AI Consultants. It blends messaging with technology infrastructure and overall governance and responsibility. Those aiming to succeed in this field need a combination of deep expertise and practical application.
If you’re wondering how to stay competitive and deliver results, it’s not just about using the latest tools—it’s about mastering the core responsibilities that come with integrating AI into business frameworks.
Let’s break down the key functions that define an AI Consultant and how these responsibilities can drive your business forward.
Key Considerations for AI Consultants:
It’s not enough to simply onboard some AI tools. Before any significant integration, companies must define their AI-related principles – both in terms of awareness and governance (as outlined above).
In my experience, the most successful AI strategies focus on how these tools support a company’s long-term growth rather than just jumping on the latest trend. Let me explain further:
As a consultant, proving your value hinges on incorporating AI governance from the the very beginning. Why?
Governance should guide the entire strategy, ensuring that AI supports business goals in a structured, compliant manner.
Tools now support things like advanced data modeling, personalized customer journeys and predictive analytics, to name a few. But the way each client uses these tools is unique to their needs and governance policies.
By using these governance policies as a foundation, you can develop or train AI systems that are customized to meet specific objectives.
A common misconception is that simply onboarding tools like Salesforce Einstein will transform a business into a well-oiled machine overnight. However, just like any powerful tool, AI systems need proper setup, training, and customization to deliver results.
Now, let’s talk about four ways an AI Consultant can shape a business strategy.
Step 1: AI Consultants Must Train the Models
Training these tools requires more than just onboarding new software and expecting results. It’s about teaching AI models how to recognize and process data that is relevant to your client’s business goals.
To ensure success, invest time in learning how to train the AI tools so you can design them to meet the different needs of your clients.
This is a critical skill for any AI consultant. For example, without proper training, AI-driven systems will only scratch the surface of their potential, missing key insights and underperforming.
Think of it like this: If you don’t train the tool properly, it’s like owning a fancy camera but never learning how to use its advanced settings. Sure, it looks impressive, but the pictures aren’t any better.
Once trained, AI can analyze data with speed and precision, producing meaningful insights.
This is where AI’s strategic potential comes into play. Once you know how to customize the tools to get the data you need, you can measurably improve the strategy as a whole.
Step 2: Use Data to Inform Your Strategy
Data is only as valuable as the insights it generates. In my experience, clients value not just the ability to track relevant KPIs, but the skill to turn those metrics into actionable strategies.
Properly interpreting data requires a deep understanding of both AI technology and the client’s unique business landscape.
Helping clients fully leverage AI analytics means streamlining operations, cutting down on wasteful spending, and identifying key drivers of growth. To grow your consulting business, sharpen your ability to use data to inform strategy—this is where an AI consultant truly shines.
When AI tools are tailored to specific business needs, they provide real-time insights that allow you to adapt strategies quickly and effectively. This adaptability is what makes AI-powered strategies so valuable; a successful consultant knows how to implement frameworks that capitalize on this advantage.
Step 3: Ensuring Ethical AI Usage
Ethics must be at the forefront of every AI initiative. As a consultant, it’s especially critical to ensure that AI solutions respect consumer privacy and comply with regulatory standards. Your clients put their trust in you as the expert and you must deliver.
This is not just about avoiding legal risks but about instilling confidence in your clients and ensuring the privacy and security of the consumers they serve.
At Wharton’s Executive Ed program on Strategies for Accountable AI, I’ve been studying how to implement AI in ways that both serve business goals and maintain ethical integrity. In today’s data-driven world, that balance is non-negotiable.
For more detail on AI ethics in business, consider reading my article: AI Ethics: Strategies for Accountable AI in Business
Step 4: Training Teams to Embrace AI
Even the most advanced AI tools won’t make an impact if the teams using them aren’t equipped to harness their full potential. One of the most overlooked responsibilities of an AI consultant is ensuring teams can effectively work within these new frameworks.
This goes beyond basic training—it’s about empowering teams to think critically about how AI can streamline their workflows and improve marketing outcomes. How can you manage this responsibility for your clients?
First, recognize that while this can be a challenging process, the payoff is undeniable in both efficiency and team morale.
Second, develop a standard training process (SOP) that you can tailor as needed.
In my experience, companies who blend internal guidelines with dedicated training programs are most efficient at helping their teams become AI-literate. It’s a long-term investment, but one that sets businesses up for sustainable success.
I imagine this transformation is similar to what farmers might have faced during the industrial revolution. Learning to use new machinery couldn’t have been easy, but history shows those who adapted thrived, while those who didn’t were left behind.
In much the same way, companies that invest in AI training today are positioning themselves to stay competitive. If your goal is to be a well rounded consultant, offering this type of employee training will make you invaluable.
AI Consultants: Gaining a Competitive Advantage
Understanding how to integrate AI into a business’s strategy is a solid foundation for honing your skills in this niche. From there, it’s about continuously advancing your education and expanding your expertise.
As someone who spent 15 years in operations and marketing strategy, learning how AI could enhance my work was a natural evolution—but there’s still much to learn before I’d consider myself an AI expert.
If your goal is to build a respected consulting business, focus on mastering the four steps I outlined above. You might even choose to specialize further by focusing on one area, carving out your own niche in the AI consulting space.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I also have some videos on YouTube that you might find helpful—check them out here. Best of luck!
With nearly two decades in the industry, Belle Strategies’ owner, Rachel Creveling, is a seasoned business consultant who crafts comprehensive frameworks that integrate operations, marketing, sales and HR to position her clients for optimal success. She excels at incorporating trending tech ethically and studied Strategies for Accountable AI at Wharton.