Where Is the AI? What to Ask Your Agency in the Scope of Work

A new section is turning up in the scopes of work I review for brand clients. It asks the agency one question: where are you using AI, and what is it saving us?

Every brand should ask it. Every agency should answer it before it's asked.

Start by knowing your own limits

Before you ask the agency anything, settle your own rules.

Check your master services agreement and your company policies. Decide how much your company is willing to let AI touch, and what information you're willing to share. Then confirm the agency's tools keep your data confidential.

Do this before anything else. Then ask the agency for two things.

1. Put it in the scope of work

For each service, the agency should show three things:

• Where in the project workflow AI is used
• How it's used
• How the output is checked

Be specific. If AI does the desktop research, who verifies it against the original sources? If AI produces audience insights, which tools does it use, and are the findings grounded in real studies and real-world data?

Then ask the agency to show the math:

• What the work would have cost with people alone
• What it costs now
• The net savings

2. Show the workflow

Ask for the old process and the new one, side by side, on one page. Which steps changed. Where the hours came out. Where a person still reviews the work.

One picture of the two workflows will tell you more than a page of reassurance.

A checklist to add to your scope request

If you're a brand, you can add these questions to your next scope of work request:

1. Which services in this scope use AI, and at which step?
2. Which tools are used, and how is our data kept confidential?
3. Who reviews AI output, and how is it checked for accuracy?
4. What would this work cost without AI, what does it cost now, and what's the net saving?
5. Can you show the old and new workflow side by side?

What each side gets from this

For brands: the goal is to know what you're paying for, and to know the speed hasn't cost you accuracy.

For agencies: show this to prospective clients before they ask. A client who can see where AI saves them money, and how you check the work, has a reason to trust the rest of your estimate.

The savings are already happening. The question is whether they're being shown to the brands.

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Should agencies disclose their use of AI to clients?

Yes. Agencies should show where AI is used in the workflow, how the output is checked and what it saves. Transparency helps clients trust the rest of the estimate.

What should a brand ask an agency about AI?

Ask where AI is used in each service, which tools are involved, how client data is kept confidential, who reviews the output, and what the work would cost with and without AI.

How should AI savings show up in an agency estimate?

The agency should show what the work would have cost with people alone, what it costs with AI, and the net savings, ideally with the old and new workflows side by side.

What should a brand check before allowing an agency to use AI?

Review your master services agreement and company policies, decide what AI is allowed to touch and what information can be shared, and confirm the agency's tools keep your data confidential.

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