AI consulting for SMBs: where to start and when it helps

Thinking about AI? Don't start with a tool to buy. Start with something you do often that takes too long, or information you can't find. Without a real problem, a test is just a test.

Where artificial intelligence can help

AI can help sort content or find a photo by describing it. For BaseCamp Studio, for example, I worked on search that helps people find photos and videos by what they show. I also added automatic tags. That's a feature in their product, not an AI training case for a small business.

For a first assessment, describe a task from start to finish: who does it, what information they use, which tools they open and where it gets stuck. If the process is repeatable and its output can be checked, there is a concrete basis for deciding whether to try AI.

When AI is not the answer

If a clear rule, a script or a process change solves the problem, an AI model may add steps without adding value. First understand the work; then choose the tool. A useful consultation can also end with the decision not to use AI.

How to set up a first pilot

• •Choose a real task and the person who does it every day.
• •Gather examples and the tools already in use, without changing the whole workflow at once.
• •Define what the tool should do and where a person reviews the result.
• •Write down what you want to try and what to watch before expanding the test.

I'm looking for the first small businesses for AI training. I don't yet have a client case of that kind. For BaseCamp Studio, I build AI features in a DAM, software for organising photos, videos and other content.

If you have a specific task to assess, see how I approach AI consulting or tell me about it on a call.