About this guide

Contents

1. Who it is for
2. How it is made
3. Ownership
4. Corrections

Searches for an AI consultant return long lists of firms, most written by one of the firms on the list. Few say which kind of company each firm suits, and fewer show where their claims come from. This publication sets out to do both.

Who it is for

Chief executives, chief operating officers, finance directors and heads of IT at established companies, typically with $20 million to $800 million in revenue, who are deciding whether to bring in outside help with AI and which firm to trust with it. We assume readers know their company far better than any consultant does.

How it is made

Each provider profile draws on the firm's own published pages, its named client work and reputable third-party reporting. Every fact carries a source and the date we opened it. All firms are compared on the same seven criteria, which are set out, with the ranking frame, on the methodology page.

The main guide is reviewed at least once a quarter, and sooner when a firm changes something material. Each page shows its last update and a short change log.

Ownership

OpenLazarus, one of the firms reviewed, owns this publication. OpenLazarus is ranked first for one stated situation, established companies without an in-house AI team that want AI running in daily operations, and its limits are listed as plainly as every other firm's. No other firm pays to appear or to be ranked.

Corrections

If a ranking seems unfair or a fact is wrong, tell us. Verified errors are corrected promptly and noted on the page.

Further reading

• Guide · ChoosingHow to choose an AI consulting firm for your companyMost proposals look alike by the second meeting. This guide sorts the firms by what they actually do, then sets out the evidence and questions that tell them apart.
• Guide · Due diligenceRed flags when hiring an AI consultantThe warning signs are rarely dramatic. They sit in the wording of a result, the scope of a pilot and the clauses about who owns what. This is what to check before signing.
• Guide · EngagementsWhat an AI consulting engagement looks like, phase by phaseAssessment, design, build, launch and operation. What each phase produces, how long firms say it takes and where companies lose momentum between them.