AI Transformation Consulting

You have AI tools, but are you getting the results you want?

Using AI is not the same thing as running your business on it. Your tools are not the problem. To reach the stage where AI results start compounding, you need an AI operating system. We get you there.

Previously: Accenture, Patch (AOL), Spotify ($100M to $1B ad revenue), Sounder.ai.

Richard Bolton, SmartScale AI Advisors

15+ Years Operations Leadership  ·  Certified AI Transformation Expert  ·  Accenture  ·  Spotify  ·  Patch (AOL)  ·  Sounder

Challenges?

I know AI is important, but where do we start?

The tools are everywhere. The advice is contradictory. The good news: the window to get ahead is still open.

We bought AI tools, but who's actually using them and what's getting done?

Adoption without a system is just expensive experimentation. Licenses don't move the needle, outcomes do.

When will we see the productivity gains and cost savings from our AI tools?

Only after an AI Transformation strategy is in place, people are trained and incentivized, and the process and systems are in place to support the change.

Most teams are stuck at Level 3: capable, busy, and still replaceable. The climb from there is a people-and-systems problem, not a technology one.

The Path

Where are you, and how far do you want to go?

Nine levels of AI execution, each roughly a 10× jump. Most teams sit at Level 3. The labels on the steps are how we move you up: start free, then climb one rung at a time.

Level 1
No AI
Manual work. AI talked about, not operating.
Level 2
Prompting
ChatGPT or Copilot for one-off tasks.
Level 3
Using Agents
Invoke prebuilt agents for recurring work.
H+A Platform
Level 4
Building Agents
Turn your workflows and judgment into reusable agents.
Agent Workshop
+ Builder Sprint
Level 5
Execution OS
Agents on a work system across a department.
Execution OS
Bootcamp
Level 6
Intelligence OS
Company data into compounding intelligence.
Intelligence OS
Bootcamp
Level 7
Growth OS
Agents aimed at KPIs, improving assets.
Growth OS
Bootcamp
Level 8
Company Transformation OS
The whole company runs on humans + agents.
Level 9
Portfolio OS
One transformation system across many companies.
Replaceable
Replaceable
Replaceable
Replaceable
Operator
Operator
Operator
Company leader
Category leader
Level 1 · Replaceable
No AI
Manual work. AI talked about, not operating.
Level 2 · Replaceable
Prompting
ChatGPT or Copilot for one-off tasks.
Level 3 · Replaceable
Using Agents
Invoke prebuilt agents for recurring work.
H+A Platform
Level 4 · Replaceable
Building Agents
Turn your workflows and judgment into reusable agents.
Agent Workshop + Builder Sprint
Level 5 · Operator
Execution OS
Agents on a work system across a department.
Execution OS Bootcamp
Level 6 · Operator
Intelligence OS
Company data into compounding intelligence.
Intelligence OS Bootcamp
Level 7 · Operator
Growth OS
Agents aimed at KPIs, improving assets.
Growth OS Bootcamp
Level 8 · Company leader
Company Transformation OS
The whole company runs on humans + agents.
Level 9 · Category leader
Portfolio OS
One transformation system across many companies.
With you at every level Coaching & Training  ·  Custom Builds  ·  Fractional Chief AI Officer
Start Free   Book a Strategy Call

Start free at Level 3. When you're ready to climb, book a call and we'll map your next step.

What each step is

Climb the levels

Humans+Agents Platform

Level 3 · Using Agents

Your whole team on one platform: a library of prebuilt agents, the AI Black Belt training to actually use them, and Signal and Folio to publish real work. Free company account to start; seats scoped to your size.

AI Agent Workshop

Level 4 · Building Agents

One day. Your first guided build: turn a real task into a working agent, so the platform stops being overwhelming and starts paying off.

AI Agent Builder Sprint

Level 4 · Building Agents

Four days. Build an agent that produces a full deliverable at the press of a button: your first real operator capability, and the natural upgrade once the workshop clicks.

Execution OS Bootcamp

Level 5 · Execution OS

Give your agents a work system (projects, priorities, QA, approvals, cadence) running across an entire department.

Intelligence OS Bootcamp

Level 6 · Intelligence OS

Turn company activity, data, and market signals into compounding intelligence that every agent works from.

Growth OS Bootcamp

Level 7 · Growth OS

Aim agents at your KPIs: they observe performance, propose actions, run experiments, and improve the assets that drive growth.

Work with me at any level

Coaching & Training Retainer

With you at any level

Ongoing, hands-on coaching as you climb, including bringing the people on your team who aren't up to speed yet.

Custom Builds

With you at any level

Prefer outcomes to training? We scope and build the agents and workflows directly and install them in your business.

Fractional Chief AI Officer

With you at any level

I run your AI leadership (strategy, governance, the roadmap) until the system runs itself.

The same Humans+Agents program, trusted by leaders from

Meta Microsoft Amazon Google Accenture Deloitte PwC KPMG Nike
Starbucks FedEx Spencer Stuart
Results

Real results from real teams.

I have carved at least a day off of my work week which is invaluable for a business owner. I have a robust pipeline of opportunities and I feel I am 3 steps ahead of everyone else.

Maureen Ennis

Business Owner

I have completed four programs from certifying organizations including Microsoft, Columbia University, and the Corporate Finance Institute. The skills I picked up in this program are the ones that have proven most beneficial to my professional and personal life.

Marcus Jonesi

Professional Services

This process is magical.

Senior Partner

Spencer Stuart

Clients on the Humans+Agents platform have seen:

100x

Speed on specific tasks at Level 4+ maturity

$0.26

Effective cost per hour for AI agent work

100%

Ownership - everything you build is yours to keep

FAQ

What you're probably wondering

Agencies are vendors you keep paying. We're a system you buy once. You don't hire us. You install an operating system. The automated workflows become yours. The capability becomes yours. We set it up and train your team to run it. Then you own it.

First drafts of everything: reports, presentations, emails, analysis. Research and data crunching. Formatting and production work. Basically, everything that eats up your team's time but doesn't require their judgment.

Every agent has built-in quality checks. Every deliverable goes through human review when needed. And our training ensures your team knows how to verify and improve agent output.

Think about what you spend on agencies, consultants, and fractional roles. That entire budget category can shrink or go away permanently. Most organizations aim to eliminate many times their investment in external services within the first year.

You'll have access immediately. Basic training takes 2-4 weeks. Full rollout, with custom workflows across all departments and your team fully trained, typically takes 3-6 months.

Great. We integrate with what you have. Our value isn't the AI itself. It's knowing what to automate, how to set it up right, and how to train your team to use it.

You decide. If it's working, we'll walk you through the options, scoped to what you actually need. If it's not working, you walk away. No contract, no cancellation process, no hard sell. Everything you built during the trial is yours to keep either way.

About

Meet Richard Bolton

At Spotify, our team replaced the advertising order management system, helping 650+ employees drive annual revenue growth from $100M to $1B while enhancing operational efficiency and team confidence. The key wasn't the technology. It was a people-centric approach: listen first, build alignment, then give the team clear guidance and the right tools.

I started SmartScale AI Advisors to bring that same approach to AI transformation. As a consultant and product leader, I've helped teams from Fortune 500 to startups solve hard problems and change how they work. The pattern is always the same: success starts with people, not platforms.

Our tools and system will help you ramp up faster, but they don't work if you don't. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Richard Bolton

The window is open. The question is how fast you want to move.

Two ways to get started:

+ A 30-minute strategy call to map your path
+ A free account to get into training today