How much can an AI consultant charge?

AI consultants can charge in several ways: hourly rates, daily rates, fixed-fee projects or retainers. Junior or generalist consultants may start at relatively modest hourly figures, while senior specialists in high-stakes domains can command several hundred per hour or five-figure monthly retainers. Project fees are often linked to expected business impact, complexity and ownership of IP. Discovery and strategy phases might be priced lower, with implementation or ongoing optimisation higher. Over time, consultants who reliably deliver measurable ROI (revenue lift, cost savings, risk reduction) can move away from time-based billing toward value-based pricing, where fees reflect a share of the gains.