What is an AI consultancy?

An AI consultancy is a firm that advises organisations on where artificial intelligence genuinely pays off, and in most cases also designs, builds and operates the resulting systems. Engagements range from strategy and audits to production machine learning, computer vision and AI agents.

Firms vary from large generalists to specialised boutiques. The practical difference is rarely quality: it is overhead, minimum engagement size, and who actually does the work once the contract is signed.

Two consultants reviewing analysis charts at a laptop

What an AI consultancy actually delivers

Four deliverables cover most engagements. An assessment: where AI pays off in your operation, with a euro figure attached and an honest no where it does not. A working proof of concept on your own data, judged on results. A production system: built, integrated with what you already run, monitored and documented. And the compliance work around it: the EU AI Act and GDPR obligations designed in rather than audited in afterwards.

What an AI consultancy costs in the Netherlands

Large consultancies typically bill EUR 2,000 to 3,000 per day, and an SME trajectory there commonly reaches EUR 50,000 to 150,000 before anything ships. Boutique and independent specialists run roughly EUR 100 to 175 per hour. The fixed-price alternative, as Crux Digits works: an audit at EUR 2,500, a proof of concept at EUR 20,000, production from EUR 50,000, all excl. VAT, with the client owning code and models afterwards.

How to choose between AI consultancies

Five checks separate a good fit from an expensive one. Ask for a fixed first number; whoever cannot give one does not yet understand your problem. Ask who does the work: the person scoping should be the person building. Ask what happens when the audit concludes AI is not worth it; the honest answer costs them a project. Confirm you own the result. And ask for a reference whose project reached production rather than stopping at a pilot.

Enterprise firm or boutique?

Choose a large firm for multi-year transformation programmes, board-level change management or 24/7 managed operations. Choose a boutique for a bounded use case where speed, senior staffing and a fixed price matter more than headcount. The difference sits in overhead and minimum project size, not in the quality of the model that gets built.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an AI consultancy and an AI agency?

The terms overlap in practice. A consultancy leads with advice on where AI pays off; an agency leads with building. The useful firms do both under one roof, so strategy does not get lost in a handover.

What does an AI consultancy cost?

Large firms bill EUR 2,000 to 3,000 per day; boutique specialists run roughly EUR 100 to 175 per hour. Fixed-step alternative at Crux Digits: EUR 2,500 audit, EUR 20,000 proof of concept, production from EUR 50,000, excl. VAT.

When is a consultancy worth it over hiring in-house?

For a first project or a bounded use case, a consultancy is usually faster and less expensive than building a team, and you keep the code either way. In-house pays off once AI work is continuous rather than project-shaped.

Do AI consultancies handle EU AI Act compliance?

The good ones design for it from day one: risk classification, transparency duties and documentation as part of the build, not a legal review bolted on at the end.