AI provides new ways of performing computer tasks. With AI, businesses can reduce costs, improve their business actions, and, most importantly, boost client support. Not only this, AI helps higher management make data–driven and knowledgeable decisions.

These are just some of the gains that businesses availed, and when the AI expands in all parts of their business activities, they can get more than unexpected benefits.

However, implementing AI is not an easy project due to the complexity of algorithms, data requirements, computational resources, ethical and legal considerations, and the requirement for collaboration across multiple disciplines, such as computer science, mathematics, and engineering.

Therefore, businesses struggling to implement it or having issues using it constantly search for AI consultants to manage and enhance their AI-based workflow structure.

An AI consultant holds a vital position in management and counselling, helping to better the AI-based workflow structure, overcome errors, and recognise potential in giving the most optimal and valid AI solutions for organisations.

So, this blog will discuss in depth AI consultants, the education and skills needed to become one, how one can create solid bases regarding AI, what specialisation areas an AI consultant fits best, and, at last, AI consultant FAQs.

Let’s start!

 

What is an AI consultant?

An AI or “Artificial Intelligence” consultant is an expert in implementing, maintaining, and providing valid solutions with its in-depth AI knowledge to improve the organisation’s workflow. The knowledge AI consultants have is related to ML models, deep learning, computer vision, NLP, and neural networks.

AI consultants, also known as “AI Solution Providers”

AI consultants serve almost all B2C and B2B businesses who want to execute AI in their business activities and consist of the following duties: –

• Potentials Identification: AI consultants, in constant contact with business stakeholders, identify opportunities for how and where we can implement AI for automation. What areas request AI usage, and what don’t? Stakeholders and AI consultants access the current business processes and come up with a design for where and how to implement AI to better serve employees and clients.

 

• Design AI system: When AI consultantsdetect the opportunity, they now work with the in-house team to make and design AI tools in the Implementation, usage, and maintaining of AI in the business workflow.

 

• AI consultant supports and guides managers in picking the most suitable AI tools and solutions from current toolsets.

 

• AI applications development: Now, AI consultants mingle with ML engineers, data scientists, big data analysts, and even marketers and strategists to develop AI systems. All these professionals, with their experiences and skills, guide the business in making solid, AAA-quality applications.

 

• Implementation: Now comes the execution stage, where AI consultants give knowledgeable and research-based insights in deploying AI systems. AI consultantssuggest what software and hardware are needed for implementing, using, and maintaining the AI workflow for reliable performance.

 

• Monitoring: The role of AI consultants is important in Monitoring AI applications. AI consultantsaccess the performance of AI applications and suggest tips regarding improvement.

 

• Ethical Guidance: AI comes with multiple ethical concerns that need to be considered when using AI applications. AI consultants have in-depth knowledge of ethical guidance regarding the usage of AI. They advise managers on how to use AI applications ethically

 

Education and skills

AI is an evolving technology, and new tools emerge every year; therefore, it is necessary to stay current with these tools.

Another concern in becoming an AI consultant is the required skills, knowledge, and qualifications.

An AI consultant requires a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or data science. A master’s degree can make you more valuable and qualified.

Besides these, certification is also a must to be an AI consultant. What industry you prefer is most important. Always pick the ones that you are most interested in. Such certification ensures your passion for learning and proves your worth as a qualified AI consultant.

You can opt for one of the best AI certifications, such as AWS Certifies Machine Learning: a specialty certification, IBM ML professional certificate, or Professional ML Engineer Certification from Google.

Get them to get the knowledge of your choice and lead the world of AI consultancy.

AI consultants work on projects such as AI strategy development, implementation and integration, data strategy and management, machine learning and deep learning development, AI market research and trends analysis, and AI performance evaluation and optimization. Therefore, a solid knowledge of Python and Java programming languages is also a must.

Python applies in AI due to multiple libraries such as Scikit-learn, NumPY, and Pandas and has a simple syntax.

Java is another strong programming language that best develops scalable and high-performing applications.

AI consultants should also know AI techs, ML frameworks (PyTorch and TensorFlow), and data science.

Our advice is to take short crash courses on programming languages from Coursera, Udacity, and Udemy to refresh your AI concepts.

Besides technical expertise, AI consultants should also work on soft skills such as: –

• Communication skills: Solid communication skills are required to Work with employees and clients in designing, building, and maintaining AI systems.
• Teamwork skills: An AI consultantis not a lone survivor. Working with a team is important for him/her to attain a common vision. He/she must learn how to interact with others.
• Analytical skills: – Dealing with different mindset clients requires strong analytical skills for an AI consultantto access their activities and workflows and detect problems causing them.
• Problem-solving skills: – A powerful AI consultantcan resolve issues via strong AI solutions.
• Critical thinking skills: AI is a complex sector, and an AI consultantmust know how to analyze the current situation with in-depth observation and find evidence to make a rational judgement regarding AI implementation and monitoring.

 

Creating a solid foundation

Before you enter AI consulting, ensure you have a solid knowledge of AI basics, as you most often interact with clients using these terms.

You can develop a portfolio of your skills, qualifications, and knowledge for your clients.

Test your expertise by participating in Kaggle or Hackathon competitions.

As a starter, look for internships where you meet experienced mentors and take their advice.

You can collaborate with an AI expert and data scientist on multiple AI initiatives to reach a more advanced level.

Also, you can attend multiple conferences and workshops, read industry-specific publications, and read news articles to stay updated with new innovations regarding AI.

This way, you can make a solid foundation as an AI consultant.

 

Specialisation areas

AI is too vast and complex, covering everything from ML, NLP, deep learning, robotics, and computer vision.

Learning all of them makes you overwhelmed. What you can do is narrow down the list of certain AI aspects.

• Focus on those skills that interest you most.
• Identify in which areas AI most often is needed.
• Understanding the market demands in that field.
• Insurance, finance, healthcare, and energy fields need the most AI workflow.

 

Strong Internal and External Networking

AI consulting is a hectic job. You must deal with clients, employees, and stockholders to achieve a common vision. Also, be respectful when interacting with stakeholders.

You need to force yourself to interact with all these people, as no one comes to tell you your tasks. Consulting means giving counseling to others, so you need to be in contact with them for most of the working hours. This makes your job a bit difficult, as you have to be in contact with others all the time during working hours.

Besides maintaining a reputable status with the in-house team, building strong networking with external peers is also important. You can join inline community platforms such as Stack Overflow, GitHub, and Reddit to sharpen your skills.

Also, when dealing with this, avoid imposing your views on clients until you advise on AI. But be polite and discuss the project in a very respectful manner to convince the clients in a non-technical way. Easy language helps clients understand what you want to convey, and you can make informed decisions.

As a starter, you find it hard, but you can win clients’ hearts with time.

 

AI consultant FAQ

What is the average salary of an AI consultant?

The salary of an AI consultant depends on their location, experience, and level of education. Generally, a starter earns an average of 110,000/year or 50-60 per hour.

How much time does it take to be an AI consultant?

A person with a computer science and data science degree or similar fields requires 3 to 5 years to develop basic technical skills. With experience, two years more will be covered. So, about 6-7 years are required to become an ML engineer or a data analyst.

 

Conclusion

AI consulting jobs are flourishing as businesses apply AI in their daily workflows.

But to be a successful AI consultant, you need to put effort into getting AI-related degrees and Certifications and mold yourself to deal with employees and clients in a very soft manner. Learning soft skills is also a necessity.

I hope this blog is a guide for your career.

If you are a startup or an SME, you can contact Sky Potential UK’s qualified AI consultants and custom software developers to implement AI in your business operations or need help managing your AI-based operations.