What does an AI implementation partner do?
An AI implementation partner finds where AI will help your business, builds it, connects it to your systems and people, and keeps improving it. The point is working software in daily use, not a report.
That is different from buying a licence, or hiring someone to write a strategy. Strategy has its place. But it is not another 200-page strategy deck you need. It is something that runs on a Tuesday.
What should you ask before you hire an AI partner in Australia?
Seven questions sort the good from the rest. Put them to every shortlisted partner and get the answers in writing.
1. Who does the work?
Ask for names. Some firms sell with senior people and deliver with junior ones. Ask who builds it, and who checks it before you see it. At Agentsy a junior drafts and a senior checks, every time.
2. Who owns the code and the data?
You should. Every account, all data and all code, from day one. If a partner holds the keys, you are renting your own business.
3. How is scope fixed?
Vague scope is where budgets go to die. Look for a paid discovery that ends with written requirements, a plan, costing and a fixed build price. Then a clear go or no-go.
4. How is the work tested?
Ask what happens between stages. A test week after each sprint means you try the work on real tasks before the next stage starts.
5. What does handover look like?
Ask what you get if you part ways. A good answer is a full handover of accounts, data, code and the notes needed to run them. A break clause on any ongoing support helps too.
6. Can they show finished work?
Ask for case studies and references. Anonymised is fine. Vague is not. You want to know what was built, for whom, and what changed.
7. Are they in Australia?
Time zones, privacy rules and local business practice matter. A partner in your country can meet you face to face and knows the rules you work under.
How do you compare partners fairly?
Give every shortlisted partner the same short brief and ask for the same things back: a written scope, a fixed price for the first stage, the names of the people involved, and a plain statement of what you will own. Differences in the answers show you the differences in the firms.
Then ask one more thing. Ask what would make them say no to the job. A partner who never says no is selling, not advising.
What are the red flags when hiring an AI agency?
- Nobody is named. You can't find out who will do the work.
- The price is "to be confirmed" until you've signed.
- Lots of slides, no working software.
- No way to stop between stages.
- The accounts are in their name, not yours.
- They promise outcomes with precise numbers before they've seen your data.
- They only demo. They can't show anything running in a real business.
How do consultancies, dev shops, freelancers and AI partners compare?
These are generalisations. Individual firms vary, so use the table to know what to check, not who to pick.
| Partner type | Often best for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Big consultancy | Large programs across many teams | Whether the senior people you meet are the people who deliver. How long it takes to start. |
| Dev shop | A well-defined build where you know the spec | Whether they challenge the brief, and how deep their AI skills go. |
| Freelancer | Small, contained tasks | One person is a single point of failure. Ask about cover and handover. |
| AI implementation partner | Finding, building and running AI inside your business | Who does the work, how scope is fixed, and who owns the result. |
Where does Agentsy fit?
Agentsy is an AI implementation partner in Sydney. We are a small senior team: Tim Morris on growth and Jins Kadwood on technology and AI. You can read about us on the team page.
Here is how that answers the checklist. A junior drafts and a senior checks all work before you see it. You own every account, all data and all code. We start with a paid, fixed-price discovery, build in two-week fixed-price sprints, and run a test week after each one. Support is monthly, with a three-month break clause. See how we work and our case studies.
For cost, read how much AI consulting costs in Australia.
When shouldn't you hire a small AI partner like Agentsy?
We would rather say so now. Pick someone else if:
- You need dozens of people on site at once, across many countries. A big consultancy fits that better.
- You only want advice or a report, and nothing built.
- The task is small and simple. A freelancer may be enough.
If you're not sure, talk to us anyway. We'll tell you plainly whether we're the right fit.