Frequently Asked Questions

An AI workshop is a hands-on training session where your team learns to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and other business AI platforms through practical exercises and real-world scenarios. Unlike traditional lectures, our workshops focus on immediately applicable skills - participants work with AI tools during the session and leave with custom strategies for their specific business challenges. Workshops typically run 2-4 hours and are delivered on-site at your office or online for distributed teams.

AI workshop pricing varies based on team size, duration, and customisation level. Most workshops for 10-20 participants range from $2,000-$5,000 NZD. This includes pre-workshop consultation to understand your needs, customised content development, hands-on training delivery, and post-workshop resources. Contact us for a detailed quote based on your specific requirements. We offer package discounts for multiple workshops or ongoing training programs.

Workshop topics are customised to your team's roles and challenges. Popular topics include: AI Strategy for Business Leaders (developing roadmaps and implementation plans), ChatGPT & Claude for Productivity (saving hours through prompt engineering), AI for Marketing (content creation and campaign optimization), AI for Content Creators (writing, editing, multimedia production), AI Data Analysis (extracting insights without coding), Process Automation (identifying and automating repetitive tasks), and Ethical AI Implementation (responsible deployment). Every workshop is tailored - tell us what your team needs to learn.

We deliver AI workshops across New Zealand with a focus on Auckland, Wellington, and Queenstown. Workshops are typically delivered on-site at your office for the best learning experience, allowing us to use your actual business scenarios and data. We also offer online workshops via Zoom for distributed teams or organisations outside our primary service areas. Peter Mangin is based in Auckland and has delivered over 400 workshops nationwide since 2023.

Most AI workshops run 2-4 hours, balancing comprehensive content with participant attention spans. Half-day workshops (3-4 hours) allow deeper exploration of topics with more hands-on practice. Two-hour workshops work well for focused topics like ChatGPT fundamentals or specific use cases. Multi-day programs are available for organisations wanting comprehensive AI upskilling across different teams or topics. Workshop duration is customised based on your learning objectives and schedule constraints.

AI workshops are designed for business professionals at all levels - no technical background required. Business leaders and executives learn AI strategy and implementation planning. Marketers learn content creation, campaign optimization, and customer insights. Content creators master writing, editing, and multimedia production with AI. Operations teams learn process automation and efficiency optimization. Customer service teams explore chatbot implementation and response automation. We customise content for each audience - a marketing workshop looks completely different from an executive strategy session.

We use these terms interchangeably, but there's a subtle distinction: AI training often refers to longer, more formal education programs (multi-week courses, certifications), while AI workshops are shorter, focused, hands-on sessions targeting immediate practical skills. Our workshops are not about theory or certifications - they're about leaving with AI tools and techniques you'll use the very next day. Think 'learn by doing' rather than 'learn by listening.'

A Part-Time Chief AI Officer (also called fractional CAIO) provides executive-level AI leadership without the full-time commitment or cost. Peter Mangin works with your leadership team (typically 1-2 days per week or 4-8 days per month) to develop AI strategies, guide implementation, evaluate technologies, train teams, and ensure your organisation maximises AI opportunities. This gives you experienced AI leadership at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive hire, perfect for organisations who need strategic guidance but don't require or can't justify a full-time CAIO.

Part-time CAIO services are typically structured as monthly retainers based on time commitment. Expect $4,000-$8,000 NZD per month for 4-8 days of strategic support, including strategy development, technology evaluation, team training, implementation oversight, and ongoing advisory. This is significantly more cost-effective than hiring a full-time Chief AI Officer (typical salary $150,000-$250,000+ NZD plus benefits and overheads). Engagements are typically 6-12 months, allowing time for meaningful AI transformation. Contact us to discuss your specific needs and get a customised proposal.

A fractional Chief AI Officer provides strategic AI leadership across five key areas: 1) Strategy Development - creating AI roadmaps aligned with business goals, 2) Technology Selection - evaluating and recommending AI tools and platforms, 3) Team Building - training your staff and building internal AI capabilities, 4) Implementation Oversight - ensuring AI projects deliver measurable results, and 5) Governance - establishing ethical AI policies and risk management frameworks. Peter works directly with your executive team and department leaders to embed AI thinking throughout your organisation, not just in IT.

AI consulting is typically project-based (develop a strategy, assess readiness, evaluate tools) with a defined start and end. A Part-Time CAIO is an ongoing relationship providing continuous strategic leadership. Consultants deliver recommendations; a CAIO helps implement them. Consultants work on specific projects; a CAIO provides holistic AI oversight across your entire organisation. Think of consulting as hiring an expert for a specific challenge, while a Part-Time CAIO is like having an AI executive on your leadership team, just not full-time.

AI consulting helps businesses understand, plan, and implement artificial intelligence solutions. This includes assessing your current AI readiness, identifying high-impact AI opportunities in your operations, evaluating AI tools and technologies, developing implementation roadmaps with timelines and budgets, building business cases and ROI projections, and providing vendor selection support. AI consulting is typically a focused engagement (2-6 weeks) rather than ongoing support. It's ideal when you need expert guidance on a specific AI challenge or decision.

Consider AI consulting if you're experiencing any of these situations: competitors are gaining advantages through AI and you're falling behind, you're unsure which AI tools are right for your business, you have ideas for AI applications but don't know where to start, you've tried AI tools but aren't seeing meaningful results, your leadership team needs to develop an AI strategy but lacks expertise, you're evaluating expensive AI investments and need objective analysis, or you want to automate processes but don't know what's possible. A free 15-minute consultation can help determine if AI consulting is right for you.

AI consulting focuses on strategy, planning, and implementation guidance - helping you make smart decisions about AI. An AI developer builds technical solutions - writing code, training models, integrating systems. Most businesses need consulting first to determine what to build, then developers to build it. Our consulting identifies your highest-value AI opportunities, evaluates tools, and creates implementation plans. If custom development is needed, we help you hire the right developers or recommend partners. Don't hire developers until you have a clear strategy.

No technical background is required. Our services are designed for business professionals, not technologists. We explain AI concepts in plain language, focus on business outcomes rather than technical details, and teach practical skills anyone can use. Whether you're a business leader, marketer, content creator, or operations manager, we'll meet you at your level and help you understand AI in the context of your work. That said, if you have technical team members, we can engage at a more technical level when appropriate.

Getting started is simple: 1) Book a free 15-minute consultation call or email hello@aiinnovisory.com with your challenges and goals, 2) We'll discuss your needs and recommend the right service (workshop, CAIO, consulting), 3) We'll provide a detailed proposal with scope, timeline, and pricing, 4) Once approved, we'll schedule a kick-off meeting to plan the engagement, 5) Work begins - whether that's workshop delivery, strategy development, or ongoing CAIO support. Most workshops can be scheduled within 2-3 weeks. Consulting and CAIO engagements typically begin within 1-2 weeks of agreement.

Most workshops can be scheduled within 2-3 weeks of initial contact, depending on your availability and our calendar. The process includes: 1) Initial consultation (30-60 minutes) to understand your needs, 2) Proposal development (1-2 business days), 3) Proposal approval, 4) Pre-workshop preparation (1-2 weeks) where we gather information about your business, team roles, and specific challenges, 5) Workshop delivery on your chosen date. For urgent needs, we can sometimes accommodate shorter timeframes. Contact us to discuss your timeline.

Yes, we deliver AI workshops both on-site and online. Online workshops use Zoom with screen sharing, breakout rooms for group exercises, and interactive tools for engagement. They work well for distributed teams or organisations outside our primary service areas. However, on-site workshops often deliver better outcomes - we can use your actual systems and data, have better interaction, and participants are fully focused without work distractions. We'll help you choose the best format based on your team's location, size, and learning objectives.

Post-workshop, you receive: 1) Workshop materials including presentation slides, resource guides, and custom templates created during the session, 2) Email support for 2 weeks to answer follow-up questions, 3) Recommended AI tools and resources specific to your discussed use cases, 4) Optional follow-up workshops for ongoing learning and implementation support. Many organisations book quarterly workshops to continue upskilling as AI evolves. Some transition to Part-Time CAIO services for ongoing strategic support. We're here to ensure you get lasting value from the training.

Yes, we regularly sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and confidentiality agreements before engagements. Many organisations share sensitive business information during workshops, consulting, or CAIO work, and we take confidentiality seriously. We can work with your standard NDA template or provide our own. This is standard practice and won't delay your project. Simply mention NDA requirements when you contact us, and we'll handle it during the contracting phase.

Workshops focus on proven, accessible AI tools that deliver immediate business value. Primary tools include ChatGPT and Claude (conversational AI for writing, analysis, strategy), Perplexity (AI-powered research), Canva AI and Midjourney (visual content creation), Otter.ai (meeting transcription and notes), Notion AI and Microsoft Copilot (productivity and document automation), and various industry-specific AI platforms based on your sector. We don't teach every AI tool - we focus on the ones that will actually save your team time and deliver ROI. Tool selection is customised based on your budget, technical capabilities, and use cases.

Not necessarily. Many powerful AI tools have free tiers that work well for learning and experimentation. ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity all offer free versions. During pre-workshop consultation, we'll recommend which tools your team should have access to. For paid tools, we'll provide guidance on which subscriptions deliver the best ROI for your use cases. Some organisations prefer to trial free versions first, then invest in paid subscriptions after seeing value in the workshop. We'll help you make cost-effective decisions about AI tool investments.