AI consulting and advisory, delivered personally by Paul Okhrem
Bring Paul Okhrem a decision that needs senior AI judgment: where to invest, which proposal to trust, how to govern a system or whether a programme is ready to proceed. You agree the question and the evidence required, then work directly with Paul on the recommendation and next steps.
USD 1,000 per hour · 80-hour minimum · USD 80,000 engagement floor. Delivered personally by Paul. Engineering, software and external specialists are separate unless included in the written scope. Full terms.
When senior AI advice fits your company
Paul's consulting fits a defined decision that needs one senior owner. The work has a written scope and evidence requirements.
- Best fit
- A company needs one senior adviser across AI strategy, governance and rollout.
- Leaders are choosing between a consultancy, an agency and an independent adviser.
- A CEO needs a stop-or-go decision on an AI initiative.
- Not a fit
- Buyers who want a large firm's brand on the report or many staffed workstreams.
- Work below the engagement floor.
What is AI consulting, and what does an AI consultant do?
AI consulting helps a company decide how to use AI for a business problem. An AI consultant tests the use case, data, cost, risk and delivery plan. Paul Okhrem provides senior advice and oversight. The output is a decision with owners and evidence, not an automatic commitment to build.
Enterprise AI consulting connects priorities with systems, controls and people. It identifies which problems merit investment and how results will be checked. The scope can address one decision or a wider leadership need. It does not automatically include developers, software licenses or production support.
Choose the support you need
Choose the service by the decision you need to make. Each scope names the work, the owner and the evidence required.
| Decision | Service | Main output |
|---|---|---|
| What should we fund? | AI strategy consulting | Prioritized options and a business case |
| How should we control AI? | AI governance consulting | Responsibilities and a control plan |
| Who should lead? | Fractional CAIO | Ongoing executive ownership within an agreed mandate |
| How do we move into use? | AI implementation consulting | Delivery and acceptance plan |
- AI strategy consulting
Rank use cases, compare build versus buy and choose where to invest.
- AI governance consulting
Connect the AI inventory, risk tiers and controls to executive decisions.
- Agentic AI consulting
Decide where AI agents belong, what they may do and how to control them.
- AI implementation consulting
Define delivery gates, acceptance tests and handover before a production release.
- AI adoption consulting
Turn AI licenses into measured daily work.
- AI transformation consulting
Plan workflow, role and operating-model changes around justified AI use.
- Generative AI consulting
Choose generative AI use cases, models and controls for enterprise work.
- AI due diligence
Test AI claims, data rights, costs and delivery risks before a transaction.
- AI training for executives
Strategy workshops for leadership teams that end in a written decision.
- Fractional Chief AI Officer
Assign recurring executive AI ownership under a written part-time mandate.
For a structured evidence review before choosing a program, consider the AI Growth Readiness Audit. The audit costs USD 80,000 for 80 hours over six weeks.
For an organisational design decision, explore AI operating model consulting. For a supplier commitment, explore AI vendor selection advisory.
For AI-search visibility, GEO consulting reviews content, technical access and measurement of citations, mentions and qualified enquiries.
Work directly with an individual AI consultant
Paul sells his own senior advisory time. You work with the person who reviews the evidence, challenges the assumptions and writes the recommendation. The engagement does not automatically include engineers, software or production support.
- Direct access: agree the meetings, preparation, analysis and sponsor reviews the decision requires.
- A defined answer: specify the recommendation, alternatives and supporting records you will use to accept the work.
- Your choice of builder: the scope separates advice from implementation and names the people responsible for delivery.
- Clear interests: Paul's leadership roles at Elogic Commerce and Uvik Software are disclosed. Any related-company proposal is evaluated and contracted separately.
If the need is recurring executive ownership, use the fractional CAIO mandate. If you are comparing different types of provider, the separate delivery-model guide sets out their responsibilities. For this engagement, evaluate Paul as an individual adviser.
AI strategy and governance in one plan
Strategy sets investment choices; governance sets the rules for acting on them. Paul connects both in one decision record.
Without a funded use case, a policy has little effect. Without controls, a promising pilot can stall before release. The plan names use cases, owners, controls and a value baseline. It also records when to stop or change course.
AI strategy consulting covers funding and build-versus-buy decisions. AI governance consulting connects the resulting systems to risk tiers, tests and board review.
What AI consulting delivers, by maturity stage
The next useful output depends on what is already running. More AI tools do not always mean greater readiness.
- Early stage, pilots without owners: a ranked use-case list, a stop list and a first governance baseline.
- Scaling stage, several systems in production: an AI inventory, risk tiers, funding gates and a vendor strategy.
- Advanced stage, AI in core processes: portfolio economics, board reporting, agentic AI controls and a succession plan for AI leadership.
88% of organizations report regular AI use in at least one business function, up from 78% a year earlier. Source: McKinsey, The State of AI in 2025. This is a self-reported survey finding, not evidence that each use creates value.
At every stage, a valid result can be a decision to stop. Not every problem needs AI. To place your company first, use the AI maturity model.
Need a decision, not a report? Send a private brief. Paul replies within two business days.
AI consulting by industry
The industry scope follows the workflow, its risks and the evidence available. Specialist legal, clinical and safety approvals remain separate.
- Financial services
Banks, fintechs and insurers choosing controlled AI uses and evidence for risk review.
- Private equity
AI due diligence and portfolio value-creation decisions across the deal cycle.
- Healthcare and pharma
Health systems, payers and life sciences, with privacy, clinical and validation boundaries.
- Ecommerce and retail
B2B and B2C commerce operations, including product data, service, quotes and order exceptions.
- Technology and software
AI product choices, architecture and delivery economics.
- Manufacturing and industrial
Maintenance, quality and supply chain decisions, scoped as a consulting engagement. See the plant-level checks below.
Manufacturing and industrial: decide by failure cost
Paul helps manufacturers connect an AI business case to plant data, ERP systems and production owners. Start when a decision crosses operations, IT and engineering. A maintenance model may lack useful data. A quality pilot may lack an owner. A planning vendor may claim savings without a baseline.
Repair missing sensors, unstable processes or unreliable master data before funding a model that depends on them. A standard rule or process change may solve the problem at lower cost. Predictive maintenance is a candidate only when the failure data and intervention process support it.
| Use case | Baseline | What must be tested |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance decision support | Unplanned downtime and inspection workload. | False alarms, missed failures and who approves an intervention. |
| Visual quality support | Defects, rework and manual review time. | Product variants, lighting changes, missed defects and false rejection. |
| Demand and inventory planning | Forecast error, service levels and stock exposure. | New items, disruptions and planner overrides. |
| Technical knowledge retrieval | Time to find an approved instruction. | Document versions, permissions and source accuracy. |
| Distributor or dealer support | Time to a correct order or quotation. | ERP pricing, product compatibility and account access. |
These are scoping examples, not claims of completed deployments in each field. Qualified plant, safety and controls engineers retain production approvals. A quality test must include unsafe acceptance, rework and manual review, not only an overall model score.
Check ERP and plant data before selecting a model
Map what ERP, manufacturing execution, maintenance and product systems contain. Identify the source of each part number, work order, stock record and machine event. Check timestamps, missing data and access rights.
Replacing the ERP is not a default requirement. First check whether supported interfaces provide accurate, authorized data. SAP, NetSuite, Infor or Epicor access does not prove certified integration capability. The selected team must show the interfaces, permissions and failure handling for the proposed work.
Keep read-only decision support separate from systems that change production. For the broader systems decision, see AI transformation consulting. Set approval boundaries before an agent can act.
Move from pilot to plant use under supervision
Begin with one process and retain the existing safe procedure. Release only when the named plant owners accept the evidence.
- Name the line, asset or planning workflow and its owner.
- Separate normal variation from preventable loss in the baseline.
- Test offline with representative data, including failures and unusual conditions.
- Run under supervision with a rollback route.
- Review adoption, maintenance burden and full running cost.
Paul's outputs are the scope, evidence plan, decision gates and handover. Equipment changes, safety assessment, controls engineering and software work need separate qualified teams.
Ask for site-specific evidence from the same process, equipment and risk level. The manufacturing AI research provides context, not a promised factory result.
Elogic Commerce's Armacell project is a company-reported example of connected B2B commerce. It is not a result of Paul's independent consulting or evidence of machine-control or predictive-maintenance delivery.
A plant brief should name the process, main loss, systems, available data and production approver. Do not send machine credentials or sensitive plant drawings through the form. Agree secure sharing before a detailed review.
AI decisions for marketing and revenue teams
Paul can review how AI changes a marketing or revenue workflow: the information used, the approval step, the commercial measure and the person accountable. This is advisory work, not an advertising agency retainer or a promise of more pipeline.
| Workflow | Decision to make | Evidence to review |
|---|---|---|
| Content research and production | Which work can be assisted and who approves publication? | Source accuracy, editing effort, rights and customer response |
| Lead research and sales preparation | What data may be used and how will staff check it? | Consent and access rules, false matches, time saved and useful conversations |
| Account prioritization | Which signals help the team choose its next action? | Existing conversion baseline, missed opportunities, bias and ongoing review |
| AI search visibility | Does useful source content lead to accurate citations, brand mentions or enquiries? | A stable question panel, cited pages and separately reviewed lead records |
Measure the completed workflow and its costs. More generated content, messages or impressions does not establish additional revenue. For a focused review of source content and AI-answer visibility, use the GEO consulting scope.
After launch: monitoring, ownership and handover
Each system needs a named operating owner before release. The handover must explain what to measure and when to intervene.
- Monitor quality, cost and incidents against the agreed baseline.
- Set a review schedule and record who can approve changes.
- Define a retirement rule and a route to pause or roll back the system.
- Transfer the decision log, risk register, metrics and open questions to an internal owner.
Paul's engagements end with that handover. Ongoing oversight can continue through a fractional CAIO seat. Software maintenance and system operation still need a delivery team and budget.
How to choose an individual AI consultant
Ask each adviser to explain how they would reach the decision you need to make. A job title or a list of company projects does not establish their personal role in the work.
- Define the brief: name the business question, approver and decision date.
- Check the person's contribution: ask which analysis, decisions and follow-through were theirs in relevant work.
- Agree access and outputs: establish who you work with, their available time and the records your team keeps.
- Review interests and boundaries: discuss vendor relationships, implementation choices and specialist approvals.
- Confirm the full commitment: fees, excluded costs, acceptance, confidentiality and handover belong in the written scope.
Review Paul's operating background and the public evidence register. Company delivery results remain company evidence; they are not silently attributed to Paul's personal consulting.
How a personal AI advisory engagement runs
Agree the question and executive sponsor first. Paul reviews the available material, speaks with the relevant owners and tests the assumptions that could change the decision. The scope establishes what access and specialist input are required.
You receive the agreed recommendation, the options considered, important uncertainties and the next owners. A useful answer can be to proceed, revise, defer or stop. Acceptance should be based on the agreed analysis and records, not on a promised financial return.
After handover, your team should be able to explain the decision and maintain the relevant records. Ongoing executive ownership requires a separate recurring mandate. The Proof Standard explains how later outcomes are evaluated.
AI consulting cost
Paul's scoped consulting costs USD 1,000 per hour, with an 80-hour minimum and USD 80,000 floor. The scope sets deliverables and exclusions.
For market context, compare AI consultant hourly rates across delivery models. Compare the full commitment and the work included, not only an hourly figure.
For context on demand and pricing, see the AI consulting market statistics. Market data is not a quote for your project. Paul's published prices do not change by buyer market.
FAQ
When should we hire an AI consultant?
Hire an AI consultant when a business decision needs expertise your team cannot supply in time. Paul Okhrem fits a defined senior decision about AI investment, governance or rollout. Bring the decision, its owner and deadline. The first scope can test whether an AI investment is justified.
Does Paul build the system as part of consulting?
Not automatically. Paul's consulting scope covers agreed senior analysis, decisions and oversight. Your engineers or a selected partner handle the build and ongoing operation. The scope names those responsibilities and budgets. If a company related to Paul is proposed, the relationship is disclosed and contracted separately.
Should we hire an AI consulting company or one senior adviser?
Choose a company when the work needs several staffed workstreams or specialist delivery teams. Choose one senior adviser when the central need is a defined executive decision. Paul delivers his own scope personally. Check capacity, conflicts, handover and who will build before choosing either model.
Can we hire Paul for one short advice call?
The published paid consulting offer has an 80-hour minimum and USD 80,000 floor. It is not an hourly call-booking service. Use the free resources to prepare your question. A private brief helps establish whether the decision needs a paid scope that fits these terms.
Who owns decisions and records after the engagement?
The client keeps the agreed decision log, risk register, metrics and open questions. A named internal owner takes over each next step. Continuing executive oversight requires a separate mandate. Engineering, software support and specialist approvals do not transfer to Paul merely because he advised on the plan.
How quickly can AI consulting work start?
Paul replies to a private brief within two business days. Scope, availability, conflicts and terms must be agreed before work starts. The consulting start date is then set in writing. Sending the form does not reserve capacity. See the global AI consulting guide for regional meeting and travel arrangements.
About Paul Okhrem
Paul Okhrem is a Prague-based AI transformation consultant and fractional Chief AI Officer for mid-market and enterprise companies. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Elogic Commerce and Managing Partner at Uvik Software. He has built B2B and enterprise software since 2009.
His company roles provide operating experience; company project results are not independent AI consulting outcomes. Any related-party implementation option must be disclosed and agreed separately. Read the evidence and measurement method.
Tell Paul what you need to decide
A short outline is enough to start: your organisation, the decision in front of you and when it needs to be made. Paul reviews enquiries personally. See his background and published terms.