An AI consulting firm supports a company from the diagnostic phase of its processes through to the production deployment of its use cases: audit, scoping, POC, AI agents, and team training. Our 2026 ranking places datashake at the top for AI applied to marketing and acquisition, ahead of Koïno, Converteo, Artefact, and iQo.
The challenge is no longer testing generative AI, but deriving measurable value from it. According to a study conducted by IFOP for datashake, 45% of French people have already replaced some of their Google searches with searches on an LLM, and 73% of those under 35 have already used a conversational agent. Your customers and your teams have already changed their habits.
This guide compares five AI consulting firms based on their methodology, references, and ability to deliver your AI projects. You will also find pricing benchmarks and questions to ask before signing.
Comparison table of the 5 best AI consulting firms
Why hire an AI consulting firm?
Most companies have already tested generative AI with ChatGPT or Copilot, but few have industrialized their AI projects. An AI consulting firm provides the methodology, business insight, and technical capacity to deliver. If you lack the basics, our guide to understanding artificial intelligence covers the key concepts.
In practical terms, the support generally covers five building blocks:
- Audit of processes and available data, to identify where AI creates value.
- Use case scoping, with estimated ROI and priorities.
- POC and production deployment, ideally within a limited and measurable scope.
- Change management and training, because a tool that no one uses provides no return.
- Governance and compliance: GDPR, AI Act, data security, and model selection.
The firm does not replace your teams: it makes them autonomous faster. The best ones transfer the methodology and deliverables at the end of the engagement.
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The 5 criteria for our ranking
We evaluated each firm based on verifiable elements published on their own website:
- Ability to deploy: does the firm deliver working tools, or do they stop at POCs and slide decks?
- Measured and published results: client-by-client figures, rather than general promises.
- Industry expertise: in-depth knowledge of the field where AI is applied (marketing, finance, operations).
- Compliance framework: data processing, GDPR, AI Act readiness, and model governance.
- Human support: team training, change management, and skills transfer.
datashake comes out on top because it meets these criteria in the area where AI has the most direct impact on revenue: acquisition. Its models and agents work daily with real media budgets, with results measured in conversions and acquisition costs.
The 5 best AI consulting firms in 2026
1. datashake
datashake is a digital acceleration group launched in 2019 by Rémy and Anthony, two former employees of Google's European headquarters. The group has supported over 1,000 advertisers, manages more than €500M in media spend, and brings together over 100 experts across Paris and New York.
At datashake, AI is not a standalone offering: it is integrated into every team, from SEA to tracking. This is what makes it a unique AI consulting firm, focused on a specific goal: making your acquisition channels more profitable. The details of the approach are presented on the page datashake's artificial intelligence.
A dedicated R&D unit puts AI to work for four use cases:
- Analysis and reporting: processing large volumes of data to surface actionable signals.
- Predictive management: cross-reference past performance, market trends, and behaviors to anticipate outcomes.
- Continuous monitoring: detect abnormal variations and optimization opportunities earlier.
- Personalization and iteration: adjust action plans based on audiences, channels, and performance signals.
Regarding visibility in AI, datashake launched its SEO and GEO offering in 2022. An internally developed tool tracks brand positioning within LLMs in real time (cited sources, related queries, trends)—a challenge detailed in our article on the Generative Engine Optimization. For morning, this approach generated a 97% increase in sessions from AI search engines in one quarter, with 83% more visibility on ChatGPT and 113% on Gemini, as shown in the morning case study.
The AI creative studio relies on agents trained on each advertiser's art direction, and the GEA offering has been deploying campaigns within ChatGPT responses since 2026. Data is processed in isolated, GDPR-compliant environments and is not used to train public models.
Who is it for? Brands and e-retailers looking to apply AI to their acquisition, ad creative, and visibility in AI search engines.
Key strength: AI put to work for measurable business results, with over €500M in managed media spend.
2. Koïno
Koïno is a French AI and data consulting firm based in Paris that designs and deploys custom AI agents for SMEs and mid-market companies. Independent of any software vendor, the firm selects the model and tool only after testing them against real-world use cases.
Its Sx4 method follows a four-step process: Scan (diagnostic), Shape (use case scoping and ROI analysis), Ship (a first agent in production four weeks after the Scan begins), and Scale (expansion based on results). One month of production support is included, and the client retains ownership of both the code and the prompts.
Koïno develops agents integrated with information systems, document assistants, and automation workflows (n8n, Power Automate, Copilot Studio). Published results include:
- CAPZA: Consolidated ESG and financial reporting in 5 days instead of 3 weeks, with error rates reduced from 12% to less than 1%.
- Adviso Partners: 30 specialized AI agents, saving over 120 hours per month.
- ManoMano: Advertising recommendation engine, +50% conversion rate.
Koïno is an official support partner for Bpifrance’s Diag Data IA program. For two consecutive years, it has received the third-place award for the best innovative solution at the Nuit de la Data (Républik IT).
Who is it for? SMEs and mid-market companies looking to move from an identified use case to a production-ready AI agent.
Key strength: A first AI agent in production four weeks after the diagnostic begins, with results published on a client-by-client basis.
3. Converteo
Founded in 2007 by Raphaël Fétique and Thomas Faivre-Duboz, Converteo is a consulting and technology services firm that drives client transformation through data, AI, and agentic solutions, from strategy to execution. The firm, which is backed by the Dékuple group, has over 450 consultants and experts, more than 200 clients, and over 90 technology partners.
Its services are organized into four divisions:
- Data, AI, and agentic strategy, including AI governance and change management;
- AI for decision-making: BI, analytics, and marketing mix modeling;
- Data and AI for marketing: CRO, media, CDP, and marketing technologies;
- Data and IT foundations: architecture and cloud platforms.
The firm also operates a training institute dedicated to data, AI, and agentic technologies. For example, it has published a case study with L'Oréal on the automated classification of advertising content using multimodal AI.
Who is it for? Large enterprises looking to integrate data strategy, AI, and marketing technologies into a single program.
Key strength: Dual business and technical expertise, from initial scoping to final deployment.
4. Artefact
Artefact is an international data and AI consulting firm headquartered in Paris. Founded in 2014, it has approximately 2,500 employees, according to the timeline published on its website.
Its service offering covers the entire value chain:
- data and AI strategy and organization, including maturity assessments and a GenAI academy to train teams;
- AI acceleration: AI and GenAI factories, and AI for operations and customer service;
- data foundations: governance, BI, and data platforms;
- data marketing: marketing ROI measurement (MMM, testing, attribution) and customer data.
Among its published case studies, Artefact has supported Bpifrance in deploying agentic AI for 500 employees using the Dust platform, and Carrefour in using agentic AI to accelerate store openings. The firm also leverages the Artefact Research Center and organizes the Adopt AI summit at the Grand Palais.
Who is it for? Large corporations deploying AI across multiple countries and business units.
Key strength: The ability to lead AI programs on an international scale.
5. iQo
iQo is a strategy and operational transformation consulting firm founded in 2021, which has made AI and impact the drivers of its missions. As a mission-driven company, it embedded impact into its bylaws from its inception and brings together a collective of 120 consultants.
Its AI consulting services cover:
- change management strategy and fostering AI and generative AI literacy among employees;
- adoption governance, utilizing a network of ambassadors and internal champions;
- analytics and AI insights: collecting, analyzing, and consolidating data to inform decision-making.
The firm trains 100% of its consultants in AI through a certification program conducted with the Albert School, covering technical, regulatory, ethical, and security issues. It also develops its own AI tools, such as a library of prompts categorized by deliverable and use case.
Who is it for? Companies looking to integrate AI into a broader transformation project with a strong focus on change management.
Key strength: A team fully trained in AI, dedicated to organizational transformation.
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How much does an AI consulting firm cost?
Few firms publish their prices, which makes comparison difficult. Koïno is an exception, with a 2026 rate card that provides good benchmarks for SMEs and mid-sized companies:
- AI diagnostic or scoping: from €3,000 to €12,000 excl. tax for an SME;
- AI agent: from €8,000 to €50,000 for development;
- agent connected to an ERP: from €40,000 to €150,000;
- Corporate AI training: €150 excl. tax per hour.
For large corporations, AI projects are quoted individually and span several months. Request a budget broken down by phase, with a decision point following the POC.
How to choose an AI consulting firm: questions to ask
The right firm depends on your size, data maturity, and target business area. Before signing, ask these questions:
- Which AI projects have you put into production, and not just as a POC? Ask for quantified results and a client reference.
- Who chooses the model and based on what criteria? A firm tied to a specific vendor will tend to recommend their tools.
- Where is my data hosted, and is it used to train models? The answer must be provided in writing.
- How are you preparing for the AI Act? The European AI Act, which came into force in August 2024, applies progressively based on the risk level of the systems.
- Who owns the code, prompts, and documentation at the end of the project?
- How do you train my teams so they remain autonomous?
If your priority is agentic AI, our article on Manus AI and autonomous agents shows what an agent can already do for campaigns. If your goal is to be cited by ChatGPT or Gemini, a generalist firm won't be enough: check out our ranking of AI SEO agencies.
FAQ
How is AI used in consulting firms?
Consulting firms use AI at two levels: for their own consultants and for their clients. Internally, it accelerates research, data analysis, and the production of deliverables. For clients, it takes the form of agents, document assistants, or predictive models based on large language models (LLMs) or traditional machine learning.
What are the 3 major consulting firms?
The three major strategy consulting firms are McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Bain, collectively known as MBB. They all have AI teams, but they primarily target large corporations; an SME or mid-cap company will often find better value for money at a specialized firm.
What is the difference between an AI consulting firm and an IT services company?
An AI consulting firm starts with your business challenges to identify use cases and measure their value. An IT services company primarily provides technical resources to develop a project that has already been scoped. The most comprehensive firms, such as Koïno or Converteo, cover both: scoping and production deployment.
How long does a first AI project take?
Expect a few weeks for a well-scoped initial use case. Koïno reports having a first agent in production four weeks after the start of the diagnostic, and Converteo describes an AI agent pilot on a CDP in ten weeks. A full transformation program is typically measured in months.
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