What to ask before you hire an AI agency and the answers to listen for.
Most AI problems I see are not technical. They are logins, contracts and promises nobody checked. Seven questions protect you before you sign anything.
By Ausaf Khan, Founder & AI Director09/11/2026
Ownership, costs, checks and a way out.
Before you hire an AI agency, ask who will own the accounts, data, prompts and tools, what the tools will cost to run each month, how a person checks the AI’s work, how success will be measured and how you leave. A good agency answers all of this in writing before you pay. If the answers are vague, keep looking.
None of these questions needs technical knowledge. They are the same questions you would ask any supplier who will hold part of your business in their hands.
Seven questions to ask in the first meeting.
1. Who owns the accounts and logins?
Every AI platform, automation tool, ad account and analytics property should be set up in your business’s name, with the agency added as a user. If they hold the keys, you are renting your own business back from them.
2. Who owns what you build?
Prompts, workflows, documentation and the data behind them should belong to you, whether you stay or leave. Ask for it in the contract, not in a conversation.
3. What will it cost to run each month?
The build price is half the story. Most AI tools also charge for software subscriptions and usage. Ask for the monthly running cost shown separately, with a spending cap on each account.
4. Where does our data go?
Ask which AI services each tool uses, what data it can see and where that data is stored. You should get a short written list, not general reassurance.
5. How does a person check the work?
Anything that reaches customers, money or published content should be approved by a person. Ask who that person is and how the check works in practice.
6. How will we know it has worked?
Agree the measures before anything is built: hours saved, response times, enquiries handled, margin protected. Not the number of things the AI produced.
7. How do we leave?
Ask about the notice period, the handover and what happens to tools that are running. If leaving sounds difficult, treat that as your answer.
Five answers that should worry you.
- Guaranteed results. Nobody can promise an outcome before they have looked at how your business works.
- “It runs itself.” Every AI tool needs rules, checks and someone accountable for it.
- Accounts in the agency’s name. Convenient for them, expensive for you when you want to leave.
- Long tie-ins before anything is proven. A good agency earns the next month by delivering this one.
- No plain-English explanation. If they cannot explain what the tool does in a sentence, they may not fully understand it either.
Over 25 years I have audited plenty of accounts where the business did not own its own advertising account, could not see its own data and was told everything was fine. I call it being digitally held hostage.
AI raises the stakes, because prompts, automations and customer conversations now sit inside tools as well. My advice to every owner is the same: if you cannot leave, you are not a client. Get ownership in writing before you sign anything.
Hold us to the same list.
We would rather you asked. Here is how we answer the seven questions:
- Accounts are set up in your name and your logins stay with you.
- Everything we build is yours: tools, prompts, documentation and data.
- AI software and usage costs are shown separately and passed on at cost.
- We tell you which AI services each tool uses and give it only the access it needs. See our AI use statement.
- A person approves anything that affects customers, money or published content.
- Success measures are agreed during the Discovery Phase, before work starts.
- Support is monthly rolling with 30 days notice and no tie-ins. See our pricing.
Hiring an AI agency: questions.
Should the AI accounts be in my name or the agency’s?
Yours. The agency should be added as a user with the access it needs. That way you keep the tools, data and history if you ever change supplier.
Is it normal to pay monthly for AI tools after the build?
Yes. Most AI services charge for usage or a subscription. For most SMEs the cost is modest, but it should be shown separately, capped and reviewed, not hidden in a fee.
How long should an AI agency contract be?
Start with a fixed piece of work that has a clear end and a clear result. Ongoing support should then be monthly rolling, so the agency keeps earning your business.
What if my current agency will not hand over access?
Ask in writing for admin access to every account set up for your business and check what your contract says about ownership. Most platforms also have a process for a business to reclaim an account it can prove it owns.
Keep exploring.
Know Your Domain: 30-day AI audit
An AI audit for SMEs: your processes mapped, every task scored and a costed roadmap.
→02AI agency pricing
Fixed prices agreed before work starts, with no hidden costs.
→03Is my business ready for AI?
Five signs you are ready, three signs to wait and a 10-minute self-check.
→Want a straight answer to all seven?
Ask us to call you back. We will answer every question on this page in writing, before you commit to anything.