Simon Allen is DWL's Director of AI Solutions. We sat down with him to talk about what DWL is actually doing with AI - beyond the buzzwords.
Let’s start simply. What is DWL offering clients when it comes to AI?
Three things, essentially. First, clarity - helping organisations understand what AI can realistically do for them, and more importantly what it can’t. There’s an enormous amount of noise in the market right now and most decision-makers are somewhere between excited and overwhelmed. We start by cutting through that.
Second, strategy. Once you know what’s possible, you need a plan. Where does AI create genuine value for your organisation? What do you pilot first? How do you govern it responsibly? We build AI strategies that are grounded in evidence and aligned with what the organisation actually needs.
Third, we build things. AI agents that automate real workflows. Intelligent bots that handle customer queries with genuine understanding. Governance frameworks that keep everything responsible and transparent. We’re not just advising - we’re delivering.
What makes DWL’s approach different from what everyone else is offering?
Honesty, mainly. A lot of agencies are selling AI as a magic solution. We’re not interested in that. Our tagline for the AI service line is “Purposeful, intelligent, responsible AI” and every word of that is deliberate.
Purposeful means we start with the problem, not the technology. If AI isn’t the right solution, we’ll say so. Intelligent means the solutions we build are well-designed, well-tested, and actually work in the real context of the client’s operations. Responsible means we think about governance, data ethics, and transparency from day one - not as an afterthought.
The other difference is that we use everything we recommend. Our own marketing department is running on AI agents and automation right now. When we advise a client on building AI workflows, we’re speaking from direct experience, not theory.
Can you give a concrete example of what an AI agent does?
Sure. Take our marketing operation. We’ve built AI agents that draft content aligned to a 52-week content plan, pulling from brand guidelines, audience profiles, and content pillars. Another agent repurposes that content across channels - adapting tone, length, and CTAs for LinkedIn, blog, and newsletter. Another analyses weekly performance data from Supabase and generates a marketing report with trend analysis and anomaly detection.
None of this replaces human judgment. I review and approve everything. But it means one person can run a marketing function that would normally need a team of three or four. The AI handles the heavy lifting - the drafting, the analysis, the cross-channel adaptation - and the human handles the creativity, strategy and quality control.
That’s the model we’re helping clients build in their own organisations.
What are you most excited about right now?
Two things. First, the zero-headcount department concept. We’re proving with our own marketing that you can run an entire business function with AI agents, automation, and one human providing strategic oversight. The implications for mid-size organisations are significant - you can have capabilities that previously required teams you couldn’t afford.
Second, AI governance. I know that sounds less exciting than building agents, but it’s where the real value is for most organisations. The companies that get AI governance right early will have an enormous advantage. They’ll be able to adopt new capabilities quickly and confidently while competitors are still arguing about risk.
What would you say to a CEO who’s curious about AI but isn’t sure where to start?
Start with understanding, not implementation. The biggest mistake we see is organisations rushing to deploy AI tools without first understanding where AI creates real value for their specific context. A one-size-fits-all chatbot isn’t an AI strategy.
We offer AI Discovery Sessions for exactly this reason. It’s a structured, evidence-based exploration of where AI fits in your organisation - your workflows, your data, your people, your goals. You walk away with clarity and a prioritised roadmap, not a sales pitch.
That’s where the curiosity starts. And from there, it’s bold exploration, intelligent evolution, real impact.