Take the busywork off your team’s plate.
I build AI workflow automations and agents for client intake, email triage and report drafting, plus LLM features for your own product. Each one is tested on your real work, measured and handed over with clear notes.
Fixed prices. One workflow, built and handed over in two weeks.
Built around your work, with a person in the loop
Each automation fits into the tools you already use. The AI does the sorting and drafting. Your team reviews what matters before it goes out.
Pick one workflow
We choose the task that costs your team the most time and map out how it's done today.
Build and measure
I build it and test it on real examples from your work, with a simple score so we can see how well it does.
Hand over
Your team gets a walkthrough and written notes, so you know how it works and what to do if something looks off.
Clear scope, fixed prices
Start with one workflow. Add more once you've seen it work.
Automation Sprint
$3,500
2 weeks
- One workflow, such as client intake, email triage or report drafting
- Built and tested on your real examples
- Walkthrough and written notes
- Handed over to your team
Operations Bundle
$7,500
4 to 5 weeks
- Three connected workflows
- A simple dashboard showing time saved
- Testing, walkthrough and written notes
Care Plan
$300 / month
Optional, after handover
- Monitoring and fixes
- Updates when your tools change
- Small improvements
- A monthly check-in
Prices are for typical small-team workflows. Building an LLM feature into your own product? I'll give you a fixed quote after a short call.
Teams doing the same tasks every day, or adding AI to a product
If someone on your team spends hours a week copying, sorting or rewriting the same kinds of things, that work is a good candidate. So is an AI feature you want to ship without guessing whether it works.
Client intake
New inquiries arrive by form or email. The details get pulled out, checked and filed, and a first reply is drafted for review.
Email triage
A busy shared inbox gets sorted by topic and urgency, routed to the right person, with draft replies ready.
Report drafting
Weekly or monthly reports start as a solid first draft built from your own data and notes, ready for a final edit.
LLM features and evaluation
An AI feature or agent wired into your own app, with tests that measure answer quality before and after each change.
- Usually a team of about 3 to 30 people.
- A task that follows roughly the same steps each time.
- You want help, but you want a person to stay in charge.
Hi, I'm John Houghton.
I design and run agent-based automation systems in my own work, with a person approving anything that goes out. I build yours the same careful way.
At Meta (contract) I built the pipelines that delivered training datasets to AI researchers, so I take data quality and testing seriously. I keep things simple and explain them plainly.
- Senior data and AI engineer. Previously Meta (contract), Apple Maps, Kaiser Permanente and Intuit.
- B.A. Economics, San Diego State University.
- Based in San Diego. You work with me directly, from the first call to the handoff.
Common questions
Which tools does this work with?
Most common business tools, including email, calendars, shared drives, spreadsheets and many CRMs. We'll confirm your exact tools on the first call before you commit.
Is our data sent to an AI company?
Some automations use a cloud AI service. Before I build anything, we go over exactly what data goes where. If your data has to stay in-house, the automation can run on a private model in your office. See Private AI.
What if the AI gets something wrong?
That's why a person reviews the steps that matter. I test each automation on real examples before handover, and you choose what needs a human check.
Can you add AI to our own product?
Yes. I build LLM features and agents into existing apps, with an evaluation set so you can see whether a change made answers better or worse. Scope and price depend on your product, so I quote it after a short call.
Do we own what you build?
Yes. It runs in your accounts, and you get the written notes. The Care Plan is optional.
Other ways I can help
Find the hours your team could get back
Book a free 15-minute call. Tell me about the task that eats your team's week, and I'll tell you honestly whether it's a good fit for automation.
Prefer email? john@houghtonlabs.com