This case study is published as part of the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme, under the Independent Scientific Advisor (ISA) offer delivered by The Alan Turing Institute. The ISA initiative provides transformative, evidence-based support to SMEs across BridgeAI’s priority sectors, empowering them to harness AI for strategic growth and practical impact. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Ian Small, Lead Innovation Consultant and Rachel De Matei, Senior Consultant at Useful Simple Trust, Professor James Brusey, Independent Scientific Advisor for BridgeAI at The Alan Turing Institute, whose insights and engagement were invaluable to the development of this case study. We would also like to express our appreciation to Alexandra Araujo Alvarez, Senior Research Community Manager for BridgeAI and Dominica D'Arcangelo, Programme Manager, for their leadership and support throughout this work. We further acknowledge Stuart Gillespie for his role as technical writer for this and other case studies within the ISA offer. This work is led by Dr Vera Matser, Head of Strategic Capabilities and Principal Investigator for BridgeAI at The Alan Turing Institute. AbstractThis case study explores how Useful Simple Trust, an employee-owned consultancy in the built environment and sustainability sectors, is developing a structured and responsible approach to artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. Supported by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme and guided by an Independent Scientific Advisor from The Alan Turing Institute, the organisation moved beyond early experimentation with generative AI tools to identify high-value use cases across its operations. Through collaborative workshops and advisory support, three key application areas were developed: retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) for knowledge access, AI-assisted “vibe coding” for rapid prototyping by non-technical staff, and the reconfiguration of report-writing processes. The case highlights the importance of inclusive, exploratory approaches to AI adoption, emphasising internal capability building, cross-team learning, and workflow redesign over short-term productivity gains. It demonstrates how SMEs can leverage expert guidance to accelerate responsible AI integration while fostering organisational culture change and innovation.