Strategy & direction
Make sense of the options. Decide which problems deserve attention, what your team needs to learn, and how you'll judge progress.
James Perkins · Philadelphia
AI strategy & automation.
Leading futurist, Ai expert, and expert implementor of automation strategy.
An early voice on AI in Philadelphia, James Perkins helps people and businesses understand what AI can do and put it to work through speaking, practical guidance, and hands-on implementation.
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaIndependent thinking. Everyday practice.
01 / A Philadelphia perspective
A Philly voice.
A view of what's next.
I'm James Perkins. I've been an early voice for AI in Philadelphia, helping people understand where this technology is going and what they can do with it.
Today, AI is part of my everyday work. I use it, experiment with it, and help other people find their own way into it. That experience shapes how I speak, how I advise, and how I build.
My job is to make the next step clearer: a better question, a useful skill, a decision you can explain, or a working piece of automation.
Meet James
02 / Work with me
Think it through.
Then put it to work.
Bring the question, the team, or the process that's taking too much of your time. We'll find a useful place to begin.
Explore strategy
Speaking & workshops
A thoughtful conversation about AI, grounded in everyday use. Give your audience room to ask questions and something practical to take away.
Build & implement
Turn a repeated task into a considered workflow. Connect the tools, define the review steps, and test what happens when something goes wrong.
03 / Bring me into the room
Let's give people
something to
think about.
I've spoken about AI in many different settings. What interests me is the conversation that follows: the question someone was hesitant to ask, the possibility they hadn't considered, the task they want to try.
We can shape a session around what your audience knows, what they're curious about, and the decisions ahead of them.
- Keynotes
- Hands-on workshops
- Leadership conversations
Covering AI or booking a podcast guest? Meet James for media & interviews.
A conversation worth having.
PODCAST / RESEARCH
Hear the perspective.
Explore the work.
Solo Philly AI Guy recordings and my career-risk research at What About AI.
IN MY OWN WORDS
The Philly AI Guy podcast episodes
Recent solo conversations about choosing AI tools, developments in the field, and what AI means for jobs and everyday life.
Hear JamesTHE FAIR FRAMEWORK
AI, job loss & career risk
I created FAIR to examine how roles change as AI advances. Explore assessments across hundreds of roles and 26 industries, with separate views of competitive pressure and whole-role replacement.
Explore the research04 / From everyday use
The small tasks
are a good start.
I use AI every day. Working with it regularly helps me see where it is useful, where it needs a closer look, and what still calls for human judgment.
Here are a few examples we can work through together.
AI consulting in PhiladelphiaPractice notes / Open a task
Research a question
Ask → investigate → verifyDefine the question before collecting answers. Use AI to organize a first pass, follow the sources, and check the details that matter. Keep uncertainty visible.
Get a useful first draft
Context → draft → editGive the tool an audience, a purpose, and the material it can use. Review the result for accuracy and tone. Keep your own judgment and voice in the final version.
Work through a repeated task
Map → connect → testWrite down the inputs, the steps, and the expected result. Decide where AI belongs, which actions need approval, and how someone will notice and fix a failure.
05 / Where the work continues
Two ways to go deeper.
For your own AI journey
What About AI?
My platform for exploring what AI means for you: ideas, conversations, and guidance as you learn to use it in your work and life.
Visit What About AI?For your organization's next step
Automation Transformation Consulting
My consulting and implementation work: understanding a process, choosing the right approach, and building automation a team can operate.
Explore ATC06 / Dispositions
What I'm thinking about.
My reading of AI, work, and the decisions behind the headlines. Sources, context, and questions to bring to your own work.
Analysis: Enterprise AI & AgentsActionable Signal
MIT Sloan's 2024 Survey Findings: The Gap Between Generative AI Pilots and Production
James Perkins on the gap between generative AI pilots and production: messy inputs, exception handling, integrations and operational readiness.
Read the analysisThese are historical survey findings reported in January 2024, not current adoption estimates. The AWS and Wavestone surveys measured different stages of deployment.
Analysis: Big Tech & ModelsVendor Noise
Arena Leaderboards: Ranking Changes Can Obscure Core Operational Realities
James Perkins on evaluating AI models for business workflows: latency, structured output, tool use and cost alongside leaderboard results.
Read the analysisBy James Perkins. Source: Arena Leaderboard ↗.
The source is a live leaderboard whose rankings change over time, rather than a dated research report.
07 / Around the region
Philly AI,
where you work.
I'm based in Philadelphia. In-person work can be arranged across the region, with remote engagements across the United States.
- Philadelphia
AI consulting, team learning, and a practical plan for adoption.
- Center City & University City
Research, documents, and knowledge work with clear review steps.
- The Main Line
Professional services, client preparation, and everyday operations.
- King of Prussia & Conshohocken
Customer operations and the handoffs between business systems.
- Wilmington
Financial-services workflows, with data access and oversight considered from the start.
08 / A few questions
Before we talk.
Who is the Philly AI Guy?
The Philly AI Guy is James Perkins, a Philadelphia-based futurist, AI expert, speaker, and expert implementor of automation strategy. An early voice on AI in Philadelphia, he uses AI every day and helps people and organizations apply it through speaking, strategy, and hands-on work.
Can you help me get started with AI?
Yes. We can begin with a task you already do, such as preparing a document, researching a question, or organizing follow-up. The goal is to understand the tool, check its output, and decide whether it is useful in your work.
Do you speak to groups with different levels of AI experience?
Yes. Speaking and workshop topics can be shaped around the audience, from people exploring AI for the first time to leaders making decisions about adoption. Include the audience, event format, and date in your inquiry.
Do you work beyond Philadelphia?
James is based in Philadelphia and works with people and organizations across the region, including the Main Line, King of Prussia, and Wilmington. Remote engagements are available across the United States.
Your next step
What are you
working on?
A question about AI. A team to bring together. A task that needs a better way. Tell me a little about it.
Start a conversation →