I support entrepreneurs and managers at Italian SMEs in understanding where and how artificial intelligence can genuinely create value, without the commercial bias of a software vendor. Independent assessments, management training, pilot projects and guidance through vendor selection. Over 20 years of experience in business innovation, based in Udine.
The role of an AI consultant is not to write code or sell a platform: it is to help business owners make informed decisions in a field where the supply of tools and vendors is enormous, and marketing often outpaces substance. It means translating the technical possibilities of artificial intelligence into concrete choices for that specific company, with its data, its budget and its team.
Many Italian SMEs find themselves in an uncomfortable position today: they feel pressure to "do something with AI" — driven by customers, competitors or industry articles — but lack the internal expertise to independently judge what makes sense and what is just noise. The risk is twofold: moving too late and losing ground, or investing in poorly chosen AI projects that fail to deliver a return and burn internal credibility for future attempts.
My role as an independent AI consultant is exactly that of a third party free of conflicts of interest: I do not sell software licences, I am not affiliated with any AI vendor, and this lets me recommend the most suitable path forward — which sometimes means saying "this is not the right time" or "you don't need an AI project yet, you need to fix your data first".
I independently evaluate, free of commercial conflicts of interest, where artificial intelligence can deliver a real return for your business. The output is an honest judgement on priority, feasibility and risk — not a sales pitch.
The AI tooling market is fragmented and rapidly evolving. I support companies in choosing among the dozens of available solutions, in negotiating with vendors, and in defining objective evaluation criteria grounded in real needs rather than hype.
From idea to a working first use case: together with the team I scope a contained pilot project with clear objectives and metrics, to concretely validate the value of AI before any larger investment.
I design tailored training sessions to make management and operational teams self-sufficient in evaluating and using artificial intelligence tools, without permanently depending on an external consultant.
When a software company proposes an AI solution, its incentive is to sell that solution — not necessarily to find the best answer to your problem. This is not a criticism: it is simply the nature of a commercial relationship. An independent AI consultant works with a different incentive: their credibility rests on the results they deliver for the client, not on licences sold.
This profoundly changes the kind of advice you can expect. An independent consultant can tell you that the problem is not the lack of an AI tool but the quality of your data, that the ROI promised by a vendor is unrealistic for your size, or that the process you want to automate should be simplified first. These are insights a vendor, however well-intentioned, rarely offers with the same candour.
I work with a method that always starts from the business problem, not the technology: first we understand what is actually holding back growth or efficiency, then we assess whether and how artificial intelligence can be part of the solution. In many cases the first useful intervention is not an AI project at all, but preparatory work on data, processes or skills — work an independent AI consultant is well positioned to recommend without bias.
An AI consultant independently evaluates where artificial intelligence can create value for a business, helps prioritise among possible projects, guides the selection of suitable vendors or tools, and, when needed, structures pilot projects to validate value before larger investments. They do not write code or sell software: their value lies in the independence of their judgement.
An agency or system integrator is paid to build or sell a solution, so their incentive is to deliver the project. An independent AI consultant is paid for their judgement: they may even recommend not proceeding, switching vendors, or fixing the data first. I often work upstream, defining strategy and requirements, before whoever implements the technical solution comes into the picture.
It depends on the type of engagement: an initial assessment may take a few days of work, while broader support on vendor selection and a pilot project takes weeks. I always work with a clear quote defined after an initial free conversation, based on the actual scope of the engagement rather than standard rates disconnected from context.
It is often for smaller companies that independent advice matters most: without an in-house data science or IT team, the risk of being guided purely by a vendor's marketing is high. Even a brief independent assessment helps avoid costly mistakes and focus limited resources on the projects with the highest real return.
Artificial intelligence is almost always the last step of a broader digital transformation journey: it requires structured data, clear processes and adequate skills. For this reason, AI advisory often fits within a wider digital roadmap and process automation effort, described on the dedicated digital transformation page.
I am based in Udine and work mainly with SMEs in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and North-East Italy, with in-person meetings where useful and remote sessions for the rest of the engagement. For larger projects I also work with companies in other Italian regions.
The first call is free with no obligation. Let's talk about your business goals.
Let's review your business priorities together