# AI-First

> AI adoption consulting for Atlantic Canadian organizations. Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

## About

AI-First Consulting helps organizations adopt AI in a way their whole team can run. Founded in 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, we work with 35+ Atlantic Canadian organizations through strategy, training, and custom AI development. Our methodology, the AI-First Pyramid, starts with people and policy before moving to process and performance.

## Methodology: The AI-First Pyramid

Three tiers, built from the bottom up:

1. People + Policy (Foundation): Leadership alignment, AI fluency across the organization, governance and acceptable use policies in place before any tools are built.
2. Process + Performance (Execution): Sprint teams identify high-value workflows, build and test AI tools, measure results against baselines.
3. Purpose + Pursuit (Vision): AI capabilities become part of how the organization thinks, plans, and grows.

## Services

- AI-First Accelerator: 4-phase organizational AI adoption program. Governance before experimentation. Weekly touchpoints, custom AI tools, and a showcase finale. Funding may be available for eligible Nova Scotia organizations through programs like WIPSI (seasonal intake windows).
- Training & Cohort Programs: Industry-specific AI workshops. 4-8 weekly hands-on sessions built for Atlantic Canadian teams.
- Custom AI Development: AI agents and automations built for your existing workflows. Your team is trained to maintain what we build.
- Workshops & Speaking: 2-3 hour strategy workshops, keynotes, and discovery sessions for leadership alignment.

## Case Studies

### Nautel (Hackett's Cove, NS)
Service: AI-First Accelerator
50 engineers trained across 8 sprints. 92% skills increase, 76% AI usage increase, 30% reduction in contract review time.

### DeNova (Halifax, NS)
Service: AI-First Accelerator
Single-cell protein innovator. 4 sprints, 4 working AI tools built, 94% skills increase. First AI governance policy established.

### Digital Nova Scotia
Service: Training & Cohort Programs
Skills for Hire Atlantic Growth Edition. 226 learners across Atlantic Canada, 88% completion rate, 96% would recommend.

### Cripps & Sons (Nova Scotia)
Service: AI-First Accelerator
Custom kitchen and cabinetry manufacturer. 5+ custom GPTs built for quoting, scheduling, and operations.

### HVAC Engineering Firm (Atlantic Canada)
Service: Custom AI Development
RFQ and tender triage automation. AI agent reviews incoming requests and flags best-fit opportunities.

### National Recruitment Firm
Service: Custom AI Development
Legal contract risk review automation. AI flags non-standard clauses and liability concerns before human review.

### Management Consulting Firm (Atlantic Canada)
Service: Custom AI Development
RFP triage automation. AI scores and prioritizes incoming proposals against capacity and expertise fit.

## Team Expertise

- AI Strategy & Organizational Change Management
- Program Design & Delivery
- AI Operations & Technology Rollout
- AI Development & Automation Engineering
- AI Governance & Policy Development
- Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement

## Contact

- Web: https://ai-first.ca
- Email: info@ai-first.ca
- Book a conversation: https://ai-first.ca/book
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/ai-first-consulting
- Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada