Ask who the AI experts in Australia are and you'll mostly get researchers, university professors and the heads of big consulting practices. They're experts, and they're the right people if you're building a model or advising government. Most business owners need a different kind of expert: someone who'll make AI useful in the business by next month.

That's the work I do. I've been in marketing since 2003, I built, scaled and sold a digital marketing agency, and in 2024 I went all in on AI. I've spoken at more than 100 events, been named a Forbes Top 20 Social Media Power Influencer, and I built my own AI infrastructure without engineers.

The kind of AI expert most businesses need

There are broadly three kinds. Research experts push the technology forward. Enterprise advisers help large organisations restructure around it. Practical experts, like me, help small and mid-sized businesses get AI working in the tasks they already do: content, sales follow-up, reporting, admin and getting found in AI search.

If you run an Australian business with a team of a few people to a few hundred, it's usually the third kind you need. If you're building your own AI system with a data science team, you need someone else, and I'll tell you that on the first call.

What Australia's guidance asks businesses to do

Australia's Department of Industry, Science and Resources publishes Guidance for AI adoption, built around 6 essential practices. Its tone is practical: work through the practices, start with the areas that matter most to your systems and risks, and you don't need to do everything at once.

The point in it I use most with clients is this one. The guidance says the same tool can create very different risks depending on how you use it, and gives the example that an internal chatbot carries different risks from AI used in hiring or customer decisions. So I review each use on its own, rather than approving or banning a tool across the whole business.

Privacy comes before productivity

The OAIC, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, recommends as best practice that organisations don't enter personal information, and particularly sensitive information, into publicly available generative AI tools. That one line shapes every workflow I build for Australian clients: approved tools and accounts first, personal details stripped from prompts, and a person checking anything that touches customers.

What I do for Australian businesses

Most engagements combine two or three of these.

• AI implementation: building AI into the tasks that eat your week, with rules and human checks written in.
• Team training: hands-on sessions on your own work, so people keep using AI after I've gone.
• AI visibility: getting your business ranked on Google and named by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
• Speaking: keynotes of 45 to 60 minutes and 90 minute workshops for events and teams.

The record behind the advice

I test everything on my own business first. In my own AI SEO case study, from January to September 2026 my Google clicks grew from 1,322 a month to 6,412, and visits sent by AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Copilot grew from 32 a month to 3,599. You can read how in the AI SEO case study.

If you're after hands-on help for your business, my AI consulting for Australian businesses page covers the detail, and every format is on my work with me page.

How to check any AI expert before you hire

Whoever you talk to, these questions sort practical experts from people who've rebranded.

1. What have you built with AI in your own business, and can I see it?
2. Which tasks would you start with in mine, and why those?
3. How do you handle Australian privacy guidance in the workflows you build?
4. What will my team be able to do without you, three months on?
5. When would you tell me I don't need you?

My plain advice if you're looking for an AI expert in Australia

Decide what you want changed before you pick the expert. If it's a product built on AI, hire an engineer. If it's your business working faster and getting found in AI search, hire someone who's done that for their own business and can show you. Then start with one workflow, review each use on its own as the guidance suggests, and keep personal information out of public AI tools.

Frequently asked questions

Who is a practical AI expert for small businesses in Australia?

Lilach Bullock is a British AI expert and AI implementation consultant who works with Australian business owners and marketing teams over video, building AI workflows, training teams and improving AI search visibility.

Do you work with Australian businesses remotely?

Yes. All my work runs over video and in English, with clients in Australia, the UK, the US and Canada.

What does Australia's Guidance for AI adoption cover?

It sets out 6 essential practices for using AI responsibly and says you don't need to do everything at once. It also says the same tool can carry different risks depending on how it's used.

Can my team put customer data into ChatGPT?

The OAIC recommends, as best practice, not entering personal information, and particularly sensitive information, into publicly available generative AI tools.

Are you an AI researcher?

No. I'm a practical AI expert for businesses: implementation, training and AI visibility. If you need model building or data science, you need a different specialist.

Where should an Australian business start with AI?

Start with one task that repeats every week and eats real time, such as replies, proposals or reports. Choose an approved tool, build AI into that task, have a person check every output, and review after a month. Then add the next task. Small, checked steps beat a big launch that nobody keeps up.