HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire an AI consultant in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to AI consultants. Here is how data protection law, ownership of models and IR35 fit in, and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an AI consultant in five steps

  1. Start with the business problemWhat decision or task should improve, and how you will measure it, before anyone mentions models.
  2. Check delivered projectsAI work the consultant has taken into real use, with a client you can speak to.
  3. Map the data firstWhat data is involved, whether any is personal, and what the ICO's AI guidance requires.
  4. Own the models, code and outputsCopyright and rights assigned to your business in the contract.
  5. Check how they are engagedDay-rate contractors working through their own company may fall under the off-payroll rules.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses AI or machine learning consultants in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and no qualification is required. Delivered projects, a reference and a written scope are what to rely on.

Ask for a project now in use and a client you can contact.

Personal data in AI systems (UK GDPR)

Where an AI system uses personal data, UK data protection law applies. The ICO's guidance on AI and data protection covers accountability, transparency, lawfulness, accuracy, fairness and bias, security and individuals' rights, including automated decisions under Article 22 of the UK GDPR.

Ask the AI consultant to show how the project meets the ICO's guidance, before any personal data is used. ico.org.uk →

Ownership of models, code and outputs

Code and documentation are copyright works under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, owned first by the freelance author. An assignment to you must be in writing and signed (section 90).

Put an assignment of code, trained models, prompts and documentation into the contract, and list third-party tools with their terms. legislation.gov.uk →

Off-payroll working (IR35)

A consultant working through their own limited company may come under HMRC's off-payroll rules. In most cases the client decides employment status; a small client outside the public sector leaves it to the consultant's company.

Ask how the AI consultant is engaged and record any status decision. gov.uk →

VAT

AI and machine learning consultancy is standard-rated: a registered AI consultant charges 20% on the day rate or project fee, and the cloud and labelling bills you pay direct come separately. Registration becomes compulsory once an AI consultant has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the AI consultant for the VAT number with the statement of work, and look for VAT under the consultancy fee only, not under the cloud costs you pay yourself. gov.uk →

“Which AI projects have you taken into real use?”

A good answer: Specific projects, what the AI consultant built or advised, and what changed for the client.

“Is AI or machine learning the right answer for this problem?”

A good answer: An honest view, including when simpler software or a process change would do.

“What data will the machine learning project need, and is any of it personal?”

A good answer: A data review covering quality, access and any personal data, with the legal basis.

“How will you handle the ICO's guidance on AI?”

A good answer: Concrete steps on transparency, fairness, accuracy and security, and whether a data protection impact assessment is needed.

“Who will own the models, code and outputs at the end of the consultancy?”

A good answer: Your business, by a signed assignment; third-party models and tools used under their own terms.

“What will the AI consultant deliver, and by when?”

A good answer: A proof of concept, a roadmap or a working system, with dates and success measures.

“What will running the system cost after the consultant leaves?”

A good answer: Cloud, licence and monitoring costs estimated up front.

Getting the quote right

  • Day rate and number of days, or a fixed project fee
  • Who actually attends the build and the workshops: the AI consultant named, an employed engineer, or a subcontracted data scientist
  • Deliverables with success measures and dates
  • Data review and data protection work included
  • Cloud, software and data labelling costs listed separately
  • Assignment of code, models and documentation
  • Engagement basis
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the consultancy days as a line of its own

Walk away if

  • Promises results before seeing your data
  • No plan for personal data in the system
  • Will not explain how the model reaches its outputs
  • Keeps the models or code in their own accounts
  • No measure of success
  • Avoids the IR35 question
LOW
£500
TYPICAL
£900
HIGH
£2,000

What an AI consultant costs: £500–£2,000 per day

AI consultants usually charge a day rate for audits, strategy and builds, sometimes as a fixed fee for a defined proof of concept. AI / Machine Learning Consultant price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

AI consultants near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. DiscoveryThe business problem and whether AI fits.
  2. Data reviewData quality, access and privacy risks assessed.
  3. Prototype or planA proof of concept or a roadmap with costs.
  4. TestingAccuracy, fairness and security checked.
  5. HandoverRecommendations, documentation and code passed to your team.

Proof of concept
A small build to test whether an idea works.
Training data
The data a model learns from.
Model drift
Accuracy falling as real-world data changes.
DPIA
Data protection impact assessment: a structured look at privacy risks.
Automated decision
A decision made by a system without a person, which UK GDPR restricts.
Bias
Systematic unfairness in a model's outputs.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the documentationData sources, model choices, tests and limitations, written down for your team.
Monitor accuracyCheck outputs regularly; models can drift as data changes.
Move accounts and code in-houseRepositories, cloud accounts and keys owned by your business.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours counts. If the AI consultant fell short, use the make-it-right step first and they get the chance to put it right.

STEP 1Give the AI consultant the chance to fix itDescribe the fault and give a fair deadline to fix it. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 expects reasonable care and skill from the AI consultant as a trader, so you can insist on the work being put right or the bill cut.
STEP 2Let us chase itA rating under four stars asks whether the AI consultant should hear about it first. Agree, and the make-it-right step runs before your review appears.
STEP 3Free consumer adviceFor advice on your rights against the AI consultant, or to report a trader who breaks the law, call Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060 or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims if it is still unresolvedSmall claims is the last step against the AI consultant: the limit is £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an AI consultant: questions people ask

No. There is no licence or register for this work anywhere in the UK, and no qualification is required.

UK data protection law applies wherever personal data is used. The ICO's guidance on AI covers transparency, fairness, accuracy, security and automated decisions.

The consultant owns the copyright in code and documentation until they assign it to you in a signed document.

Expect £500–£2,000 per day; £900 is typical. Strategy or build, data readiness, regulated sectors and a delivered track record move the day rate. Our AI consultant price guide breaks the figures down, and your town above brings up AI consultants close by.

They can, if the consultant works through their own company. HMRC sets out who decides employment status.

Audits and strategy work take days to weeks; builds can take months.

MORE GUIDES

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Sources — checked October 2026

  1. ICO — guidance on AI and data protection
  2. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  3. gov.uk — understanding off-payroll working (IR35)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register