Best AI Consultants in Denver

Top AI Consultants in Denver

The Denver area has rapidly become a powerhouse for innovation, not just in energy, aerospace, or construction, but also in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI & ML).

Across Colorado’s Front Range, engineers and data specialists are embedding AI into everything from predictive maintenance for utilities to algorithmic design in architecture and smart city infrastructure.

In Denver, the line between engineering and data science has all but disappeared.

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🌟 Methodology - How We Built This List of Top AI/ML Consultants in Denver

At Digital Reference, we’ve spent months evaluating and researching leading professionals who bring the best of AI and ML consulting to this region. These consultants, a mix of freelancers, firm leaders, and innovators, are shaping how industries approach automation, data strategy, and intelligent design.

Our methodology combines both qualitative and quantitative evaluation, including:

• Reviewing real-world project applications and outcomes
• Verifying feedback from engineering and industrial clients
• Evaluating professional contributions through speaking, research, and community engagement

Together, these professionals reflect Denver’s growing role as a national hub for applied AI in engineering.

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🌟 Digital Reference's List of Best AI Consultants in Denver

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🔶 Aaron Opgenorth, MBA

Artificial Intelligence (AI) | AI Arborist | Business Creator at King Ltd
🔗 LinkedIn

Aaron Opgenorth is an AI strategist and business intelligence consultant known for his ability to translate machine learning into measurable business outcomes. With an MBA and a technical foundation in data systems, he bridges strategy and execution for organizations ready to modernize their engineering workflows through AI.

Aaron’s consulting work focuses on AI roadmap development, ensuring that organizations adopt scalable, practical systems that align with existing business structures.

Highlights:
🤖 Designs data-to-decision AI frameworks for mid-sized firms.
💡 Guides leadership teams through AI integration planning.
⚙️ Implements ML for cost optimization and process accuracy.
📊 Delivers hands-on strategy for practical AI transformation.

Aaron’s combination of analytical thinking and operational insight makes him a go-to consultant for Denver firms seeking to integrate intelligence into their core engineering functions.

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🔶 Kate Marshall

Founder, Fractional CAIO, AI Adoption Consultant and Co-Founder & CEO of TheGrai
🔗 LinkedIn

Kate Marshall is a leading voice in AI governance, adoption, and workforce readiness. She serves organizations as a Fractional Chief AI Officer, helping them put AI to work without creating legal, security, or compliance exposure.

Her Denver-based firm, theGRAI, focuses on the parts of AI most companies skip: policy, guardrails, rollout, and training. Kate spent 18 years at SANS Institute building rapid-response cybersecurity curriculum, then led its global summits, where she launched the organization's first AI Task Force and first AI Hackathon. That security background drives her core principle: make the safe path the fast path.

Kate teaches the SHRM AI+HI Specialty Credential and wrote AI at Work. She is known for turning regulation and technical risk into plain language that executives, HR teams, and operators can act on, covering shadow AI, data hygiene, vendor exposure, and the EU AI Act.

Highlights:
🤖 Runs fractional CAIO engagements: platform selection, policy, rollout, and adoption measurement.
💡 Writes AI policy that holds up with insurers, auditors, and regulators.
⚙️ Trains non-technical leaders through workshops, executive coaching, and credential programs.
📊 Surfaces and governs shadow AI before it becomes a breach or a lawsuit.

Kate's work with theGRAI reflects a governance-first approach to AI: adopt fast, document the controls, and stay insurable.

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🔶 Myrna James

Ethical AI (Artificial Intelligence) Consultant
🔗 LinkedIn

Myrna James is a respected thought leader in AI ethics, data transparency, and geospatial intelligence. Based in Denver, she brings more than two decades of expertise in helping data and engineering professionals apply AI responsibly, with a focus on long-term sustainability, clear communication, and human-centered design.

Her consulting work often bridges technical systems with ethical decision-making, ensuring that AI is used for social and operational good rather than unchecked automation. Myrna’s influence is especially strong in industries handling large-scale environmental or engineering data, where bias, data integrity, and interpretability are crucial.

Highlights:
🤖 Promotes responsible AI adoption for engineering and environmental data sectors.
💡 Advocates for transparency and ethics in AI governance.
⚙️ Provides strategic guidance for organizations adopting intelligent automation.
📊 Publishes and speaks globally on AI ethics and data innovation.

Myrna’s voice continues to shape how Denver engineers and decision-makers approach AI, not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a framework for intelligent, ethical progress.

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🔶 Shawn Mills

AI Innovation Enabler, CEO, Partner and Chairman,  Pisteyo  
🔗 LinkedIn

Shawn Mills is a strategic AI implementation consultant whose work bridges business operations and advanced analytics. As Founder and Principal Consultant at Pisteyo, Shawn focuses on practical AI deployment — helping engineering, manufacturing, and industrial clients integrate intelligent systems that actually perform in real-world environments.

His expertise lies in building scalable AI frameworks that align with organizational goals, technical infrastructure, and human workflows. Rather than pushing abstract innovation, Shawn develops structured adoption pathways that bring measurable returns on investment.

At the heart of his practice is the belief that AI should enable better human judgment, not replace it. Through Pisteyo, he helps companies design frameworks where ethics, accountability, and performance coexist, an approach that has earned him recognition across Colorado’s industrial AI landscape.

Highlights:
🤖 Builds end-to-end AI adoption and transformation frameworks.
💡 Specializes in transparent, ethical AI implementation.
⚙️ Integrates ML solutions within existing engineering infrastructures.
📊 Focuses on measurable, outcome-driven deployment strategies.

Shawn represents the forward-thinking, results-oriented ethos of Denver’s AI consulting scene, where technology meets trust, and innovation serves the people behind the process.

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🔶 Andrew Tilley

Machine Learning, Data Science, Analytics Expert and Principal Data Scientist at Recentive Analytics

🔗 LinkedIn

Andrew Tilley is a seasoned data scientist with 12+ years of experience building, deploying, and scaling data products for major brands and Fortune 500 companies. As a Principal Data Scientist at Recentive Analytics, he specializes in transforming complex datasets into actionable intelligence—improving decision-making, operational efficiency, and enterprise forecasting.

His work spans machine learning engineering, applied analytics, risk modeling, and production-grade data systems, with a proven track record of leading end-to-end development across high-impact industries including fintech, e-commerce, consumer marketplaces, and engineering-focused organizations.

Highlights:
🤖 Builds and ships production ML models and pipelines across Python, R, Spark, and AWS.
📈 Leads development of predictive and prescriptive data products for enterprise-scale clients.
🏗️ Created Spring Labs’ groundbreaking Income Stability Indicators (ISI)—a data product reshaping financial underwriting with 300+ forward-looking attributes.
⚙️ Engineers robust validation frameworks, recommender systems, and automated data governance processes.
📊 Advises organizations on data maturity, experimentation, and model-driven business strategy.

Andrew’s Denver-based consulting background—combined with his leadership at companies like Recentive Analytics, Spring Labs, Ibotta, and Eaze—demonstrates his ability to not only design powerful ML systems but also tie them directly to measurable business outcomes. He brings a rare blend of engineering depth, analytical rigor, and product-minded execution to every engagement.

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🔶 Trisha Black, MS

Founder & AI & Machine Learning Specialist at TrishaBlack.com
🔗 LinkedIn

Trisha Black, MS, is a leading AI strategist and data science consultant recognized for her ability to bridge technical precision with human insight. Through her independent consultancy, TrishaBlack.com, she helps engineering, analytics, and product-focused organizations design machine learning systems that are explainable, ethical, and high-performing.

Her work extends beyond implementation—Trisha focuses on how teams think about AI, developing responsible data strategies that empower rather than overwhelm. She has guided numerous companies through the process of operationalizing AI frameworks, ensuring that machine learning delivers measurable improvements in performance, quality, and scalability.

With her background in data science and behavioral modeling, Trisha’s consulting combines analytical depth with systems-level understanding, making her a trusted partner for engineering-driven innovation across Denver and beyond.

Highlights:
🤖 Designs ethical and interpretable AI strategies for organizations.
💡 Guides teams through full lifecycle AI adoption and data maturity.
⚙️ Builds ML systems focused on diagnostics and operational accuracy.
📊 Blends data science expertise with leadership development for AI readiness.

Trisha’s work exemplifies a rare balance of rigor and empathy, proving that the best AI systems are not just intelligent—they’re human-aware, transparent, and built for longevity.

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🔶 Zac Folk

Founder, CEO, Entrepreneur, AI Consultant Pisteyo
🔗 LinkedIn

Zac Folk is a multidisciplinary leader in AI strategy, business transformation, and systems innovation. As founder at both Mercy Mercantile and Pisteyo, Zac’s work centers on helping organizations translate data intelligence into operational excellence.

He combines extensive leadership experience with deep curiosity about how machine learning and automation reshape decision-making. At Pisteyo, Zac plays a key role in connecting AI implementation with human-centered change management, ensuring that each system delivers measurable value across technical and executive levels.

Through Mercy Mercantile, Zac brings a strategic growth and organizational design perspective to the AI conversation—aligning technology adoption with business vision. His background enables him to bridge the worlds of data, finance, and engineering to create long-term, adaptive success.

Highlights:
🤖 Aligns AI transformation with organizational strategy.
💡 Connects machine learning outcomes to leadership and growth.
⚙️ Integrates ethical AI principles into business operations.
📊 Guides companies through intelligent system adoption with clarity and purpose.

Zac Folk’s leadership across both firms illustrates how Denver’s AI consulting landscape thrives at the intersection of business intelligence, ethics, and engineering performance—making innovation both scalable and sustainable.

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Using Digital Reference to Find the Right AI Consultant in Denver For Your Needs

The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood region is rapidly becoming a national hub for AI and ML engineering innovation. Its consultants and engineers are driving real-world solutions that enhance everything from structural safety and resource management to digital infrastructure and sustainability.

At Digital Reference, we help connect businesses with the most trusted professionals in AI, data science, and digital strategy.

Our curated lists highlight verified consultants and thought leaders across industries and regions, helping decision-makers identify the right expertise for transformative growth.

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From AI and automation to analytics and engineering strategy, we empower companies to adopt the right technology and the right people with confidence.