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AI strategy and consultancy 10 guides for UK businesses.

These guides are for owners and managers deciding whether AI is worth doing and how to start: whether your business needs it at all, how to choose an AI consultancy, how to get your data and your people ready, and how to roll it out so it is used rather than abandoned. They are written by Augustova, an AI consultancy and AI agency in Fitzrovia, London, from the audits we run and the products we operate. Where we quote a price or a figure, we name the source.

AI consultancy in London →All guides →Automation and AI agents →Building software and MVPs →AI tools: Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot →Governance, GDPR and risk →Costs and ROI →Industries →

8 October 2026 · 11 min read

Fractional Chief AI Officer vs AI Consultancy vs In-House Hire: What a UK SME Should Buy (2026)

Most SMEs should start with a fixed-price engagement, because it is the only option that ends in something you own.

Fractional CAIO
From about £3,000 a month, minimum terms
Fixed-price engagement
Audit £1,500 to £6,000, builds from £4,000
Hire
AI engineer median £87,500

7 October 2026 · 12 min read

AI Strategy for a UK SME: Two Pages, Four Decisions and a First Process (2026)

A two-page AI strategy built on four decisions, with a template to fill in.

Length
Two pages, four decisions
First move
One measured process
Review
Quarterly, after each 90-day cycle

5 October 2026 · 11 min read

AI Change Management for UK SMEs: Getting Staff to Adopt the Tools You Bought (2026)

Six things decide whether staff actually use AI, and none of them is the software.

The barrier
Skills, not software
The six levers
Policy, templates, session, owner, first win, honesty
Timeframe
Most seats used within a month

5 October 2026 · 12 min read

30-Day AI Rollout Plan for a UK SME: Claude or ChatGPT Set Up, Adopted and Measured (2026)

A day-by-day plan to go from decision to a measured first win in 30 days.

Days 1 to 5
Buy, set up, policy, baseline
Days 6 to 25
Templates, sessions, first automation
Days 26 to 30
Measure and decide

1 October 2026 · 11 min read

AI Data Readiness for a UK SME: What You Actually Need Before Automating (2026)

You don't need a data warehouse, just four checks, and a one-day assessment to tell you when to start.

Not needed
A data warehouse or a data team
Needed
One record of truth per record type
Assessment
One day, four questions

14 September 2026 · 13 min read

How to Choose an AI Consultancy in the UK: Checklist (2026)

Five questions to ask a UK AI consultancy before you ever discuss price.

Measured day rate
£575 median (ITJobsWatch)
Fixed discovery, published
£1,500 to £5,000
Retainers, published
£750 to £6,000 a month
First test
Do they build, or only advise?

14 September 2026 · 13 min read

AI Readiness Audit for UK SMEs: Contents, Prices, Scoring

What an AI readiness audit is, what it costs in the UK, and what you should get at the end.

Published UK price range
Free to £8,000
Typical paid audit
£750 to £5,000, one to three weeks
Top UK barrier
Limited AI skills, 60% (DSIT)
Augustova
£2,500 to £6,000, credited against a build

14 September 2026 · 12 min read

AI Training for Staff UK Cost: Published Prices (2026)

What AI training for staff costs in the UK, from private sessions to public courses and free materials.

Private half day
£895 to £2,500 a session
Public course
£295 to £1,565 a head
Trained over half of staff
11% of businesses (ONS)
Augustova
£1,200 half day, £2,000 full day

13 September 2026 · 15 min read

UK AI Statistics 2026: Adoption, Cost and ROI, Sourced

More than 60 dated, linked figures on UK AI adoption, pricing and spending.

Businesses using AI
35% (10+ staff, ONS, Jun 2026)
AI consultant day rate
£575 median (IT Jobs Watch)
Adults using AI tools
54%, from 31% (Ofcom, 2026)
AI users reporting productivity gains
87% (Lloyds, Mar 2026)

8 August 2026 · 13 min read

Why AI Pilots Never Reach Production: UK Evidence 2026

Most AI pilots stall because the prototype is a fifth of the work, and integration and ownership are the rest.

Custom AI tools reaching production
5% (MIT NANDA, 2025)
Projects abandoned after proof of concept
At least 30% (Gartner)
UK adopters reporting higher revenue
12% (DSIT, 2026)
The prototype
Roughly 20% of the work