The tools already work. Almost nobody has set them up.
Two independent 2025 studies say the same thing: adoption is everywhere, results are not. The gap is implementation.
of organizations piloting generative AI saw zero measurable return to the P&L.
MIT / Project NANDA — State of AI in Business, 202588% of companies now use AI, yet only 21% have redesigned a single workflow around it.
McKinsey — State of AI, November 2025Piloting a tool is not the same as re-engineering the work. That second step is the entire job.
Four parts. Installed, not advised.
Not a deck of recommendations — a working setup that stays after we leave.
Brain
A markdown git repository that holds how your company actually works — your standards, your data, your context. The agents read it before they act.
Skills
Plain, in-repo instructions any agent can run: quoting, BOM validation, overnight document work. Vendor-neutral by design — swap the AI, the brain stays.
Champions
Your operators, trained in the room and handoff-tested. The system survives after the consultant leaves because someone inside owns it.
Cadence
A measurement review and an owner one-pager every month. What got faster, what it saved, what runs next — in hours and dollars.
Four ways in, one methodology.
Start with a free 30 minutes. The rest is priced against what it saves.
| Engagement | Price | Commitment | What you leave with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free intro | Free | 30 minutes | A straight answer on whether AI can actually move a number in your operation |
| Opportunity Assessment | $2,500 | Half to full day on site | Process inventory with baselines |
| The Standard Install | Scoped in the assessment | 30–45 days, then a monthly cadence | The Standard Install: brain, champions, first skill built with your operators in the room |
| The Applied AI Cohort | $5k / company | 6 weeks · 8–10 companies per run | Two seats per company — a leader and a champion |
Why Almost Every Corporate AI Program Fails (MIT, McKinsey & RAND Data)
Why do most AI projects fail? MIT found 95% of organizations piloting generative AI saw zero measurable return. The data from MIT, McKinsey, RAND, Gartner, S&P Global and BCG on how corporate AI programs fail — and what the successful 5% do differently.
From the Richardson Applied AI channel · no hype, no mystery
Second-generation operations consulting — applied to the information side.
Holden Richardson builds production AI systems inside real companies. The discipline is inherited: his father re-engineered the physical operation on manufacturing floors. Richardson Applied AI re-engineers how the knowledge work flows.