Is AI consulting worth it?

AI consulting is worth it when the fee is clearly smaller than the value of the problem being solved. For a UK small business losing 10 hours a week to admin, that time is worth roughly £13,000 to £26,000 a year at typical owner rates, so a £500 to £5,000 engagement that removes half of it pays for itself within months. It is not worth it when the consultant sells tools before understanding your workflows, when the deliverable is a strategy deck with no implementation plan, or when a £30-per-month off-the-shelf tool would solve the same problem. Ask any consultant to estimate the hours or pounds their work will return, and how they will measure it. A good one will answer in specifics.