AI consulting in Calgary, in short
I help Alberta owners and leadership teams decide where AI belongs in how their business operates, rank the use cases worth funding, and build the two or three that hold up. The thinking happens here at AIwithZAK. The building happens at ORKA AI. Most engagements start with an assessment of where AI already sits in the business, then move to a roadmap, then to built systems your team runs without me.
Where Alberta actually stands
Alberta businesses adopt AI at 18.4%, just under the national rate of 19.2%. The averages hide the part that matters. Construction runs at 9.2% and agriculture at 4.5%, and those are large parts of this province’s economy. Rural businesses adopt at 9.9% against 21.0% in cities.
So the question is rarely whether AI applies to your business. It is which piece of work is costing you, and what the smallest version of a fix looks like.
Where to start
If you are not sure AI applies to your business. Read AI consulting across Alberta or the sector pieces on energy, construction and professional services.
If you have tools and no plan. Start with how to build an AI roadmap and how to prioritize AI use cases.
If a pilot has already stalled. Why most AI pilots never become real systems covers the seven reasons and what to do instead.
If you are ready to talk. See the services or get in touch.
Why people call
I am an operator before I am anything else. I have spent more than a decade building businesses, media platforms and community projects from Calgary, which is why I start with how the work actually happens rather than with what a tool can do.
I host Canadian Podcast, running since January 2021 and past 230 episodes. I publish AI Magazine Canada and host the AI Podcast with ZAK. I wrote Your Next Employee Might Be AI. Avenue Calgary named me to its Top 40 Under 40.
Common questions
What does an AI strategist actually do?
Helps leadership decide where AI belongs, assess what the organization can realistically support, rank the use cases worth funding, and plan deployment so the result survives handover. The work connects technology to outcomes, ownership and risk rather than to a tool purchase.
We already pay for Copilot or ChatGPT. Is that not enough?
A licence is not a use case. Most companies are paying for capability nobody has been given a reason to use, with no shared standard and no owner. That is usually the cheapest thing to fix and the first thing I look at.
Do you work outside Calgary?
Yes. Most engagements are in Calgary and Edmonton, and the practice covers the rest of Alberta, plus British Columbia and Saskatchewan remotely.
Who does the implementation?
ORKA AI. AIwithZAK is where the thinking and the writing live. ORKA AI is the company that builds and delivers the work.
How much does it cost?
It depends on scope. A short assessment or a workshop is one engagement, a roadmap or an agent build is another. Pricing is confirmed before work begins.
Alberta and national AI adoption figures: Statistics Canada table 33-10-1167-01, released 27 May 2026, and the accompanying analysis, released 11 June 2026. Last reviewed 17 September 2026.