AI Opportunity Assessment and Pilot
About The Business: Innovative Outdoor Products manufactures and sells outdoor, cycling and waterproof products under brands including Aquapac, Carradice and UPSO. The business operates a large SKU portfolio across multiple warehouse locations and currently uses Shopify, Katana MRP and Xero to manage sales, production, inventory and financial data.
Overview: The company has identified opportunities to make better use of existing business data to support inventory management, improve marketing effectiveness, enhance business intelligence and support future growth. The business wishes to explore how Artificial Intelligence could be practically applied to improve decision-making, reduce repetitive or low-value work and create competitive advantage, whilst building internal understanding and confidence around AI technologies.
Desirable Skills: Essential • Data analysis skills • Strong Excel capability • Analytical problem-solving • Interest in Artificial Intelligence and willingness to learn • Ability to understand business processes • Ability to communicate findings clearly • Ability to work collaboratively with business stakeholders Desirable • Power BI • Python • Data visualisation • Experience of AI tools or relevant university AI modules • Machine learning fundamentals • Business intelligence or workflow automation tools • Knowledge of manufacturing or supply chain operations • Awareness of cybersecurity, data protection or responsible AI The project may suit a student or recent graduate from a data, computing, cybersecurity, business analytics or related digital discipline. Specialist or expert-level AI knowledge is not required, provided the intern has suitable analytical skills, curiosity and the ability to research and test tools responsibly. Expected Outcomes and Success Metrics Success will be measured through: • Assessment of the main relevant business data sources and selected processes. • Identification of at least five potential AI opportunities. • Completion of an AI opportunity matrix with prioritised recommendations. • Clear assessment of opportunities against value, feasibility, data, risk and readiness. • Completion of one small-scale pilot or proof of concept where an appropriate and achievable use case is identified. • Evidence of potential value, limitations and learning from any trial activity. • Delivery of a practical AI adoption roadmap. • Handover of relevant documentation, findings and recommendations. • Increased organisational understanding and confidence around how AI could support marketing, inventory management, warehouse optimisation, business reporting, knowledge sharing and decision-making.
Job Description:
The internship will:
• Review and assess relevant data held within Shopify, Katana MRP, Xero and associated spreadsheets within the first four weeks.
• Work closely with Max and relevant employees to understand current processes, operational challenges and tasks that involve repetitive work, delays, errors or difficult-to-access information.
• Identify and prioritise a minimum of five potential AI use cases that could deliver measurable business benefits.
• Evaluate opportunities across inventory management, warehouse optimisation, marketing, customer insights, forecasting, business reporting, knowledge sharing and routine administration.
• Categorise opportunities using the practical AI areas of Predict, Sense, Create and Do, where relevant.
• Develop an AI opportunity assessment framework, ranking opportunities based on potential value, feasibility, data availability, cost, complexity, risk and organisational readiness.
• Explore and test one small-scale proof of concept or pilot activity, where a suitable and achievable opportunity is identified.
• Use available company data or controlled test information to assess potential value, limitations and further requirements.
• Produce an AI adoption roadmap outlining possible future projects, technology requirements, skills needs, safeguards and expected business benefits.
Scope of Work, Methods, and Tools
Discovery and Data Review
The intern will:
• Review existing data sources.
• Understand how data currently flows between systems.
• Assess relevant data quality and accessibility.
• Work closely with Max and interview or engage with relevant stakeholders from operations, sales and management.
• Review selected business processes and break them down into the tasks people complete day to day.
• Identify recurring problems, manual workarounds, repetitive administration and opportunities to improve access to information.
AI Opportunity Identification
The intern will investigate opportunities including:
Marketing Intelligence
• Which products should be promoted?
• Which customer groups are most valuable?
• Which products are frequently purchased together?
• Which products are under-marketed despite strong performance?
• Could AI support routine marketing content or customer communications?
Inventory and Warehouse Optimisation
• Which products should be held in which warehouse?
• Which SKUs are slow moving?
• Which products may require safety stock?
• Which products could be consolidated to reduce inventory costs?
Demand Forecasting
• Explore the potential to forecast future sales using historical data.
• Identify seasonal demand patterns.
• Explore how data could support stock requirement decisions.
Business Intelligence
• Explore opportunities to streamline management reporting.
• Investigate natural-language querying of suitable business data.
• Explore AI-generated insights or recommendations, with appropriate human review.
Knowledge and Administration
• Explore opportunities to draft or update routine documents.
• Summarise suitable information and reports.
• Improve access to internal business knowledge.
• Reduce repetitive data entry or administrative activity.
• Support more consistent handovers and internal communication.
Pilot Activity
Where the discovery work identifies a suitable and achievable opportunity, the intern will undertake one small-scale proof of concept or pilot activity. This is intended to test an idea and build understanding, rather than implement a live or business-critical AI solution.
Potential examples may include:
• Testing demand forecasting against historical information.
• Exploring a warehouse or stock analysis model.
• Testing a marketing opportunity recommendation approach.
• Creating a product performance dashboard with trial AI-generated insights.
• Exploring customer segmentation using suitable available data.
• Testing an AI-assisted management reporting, documentation or knowledge-sharing task.
The final pilot will be agreed with Max following the discovery and prioritisation stages. Its scope will reflect the intern's skills, the available data, business need, risk and what can realistically be achieved within the 300-hour internship.
Validation and Reporting
The intern will:
• Test any pilot activity with Max and relevant business users.
• Agree simple success measures before testing.
• Assess potential time, quality, cost or decision-making benefits.
• Record limitations, risks and further requirements.
• Maintain human review of any AI-generated outputs or recommendations.
• Consider data protection, confidentiality and cybersecurity when selecting and testing tools.
• Produce recommendations for future exploration or implementation.
• Deliver a final presentation and handover pack.
Timeline with Milestones
Hours 1-75: Discovery and assessment
• Stakeholder engagement and close working with Max
• Business process and task review
• Data and systems assessment
• AI opportunity discovery
Hours 76-200: Prioritisation and pilot activity
• Opportunity prioritisation
• Selection of a suitable pilot activity, where appropriate
• Research and controlled trial or proof-of-concept work
Hours 201-300: Testing, learning and roadmap
• Pilot testing and refinement, where appropriate
• Benefit, risk and learning assessment
• Roadmap development
• Final presentation and handover
Intern Roles and Responsibilities
The intern will:
• Work closely with Max and relevant employees throughout the project.
• Analyse relevant company data and current processes.
• Research suitable and accessible AI technologies.
• Engage with operational and commercial teams.
• Identify and assess AI adoption opportunities.
• Carry out one small-scale trial or proof of concept where suitable.
• Capture potential outcomes, limitations and lessons learned.
• Produce recommendations, documentation and a practical roadmap.
The intern will not be expected to act as an AI expert, design an enterprise-wide AI architecture or implement a live business-critical system.