The verdict in three sentences
A targeted AI use case costs 10,000 to 45,000 EUR to set up and 150 to 1,500 EUR/month to run (API, hosting, monitoring). The costs that blow up budgets are hidden: data preparation (20 to 40 % of the project), quality evaluation and change management. A POC at 5,000-12,000 EUR validates value before industrialising and avoids the gimmick effect.
Realistic budget by use-case type (2026)
Cost depends on the complexity of the case and the quality of input data.
| AI use case | 2026 setup | Running / month | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAG support chatbot | 8,000 - 25,000 EUR | 100 - 800 EUR | 4 - 8 wks |
| Document assistant | 10,000 - 30,000 EUR | 150 - 1,000 EUR | 5 - 9 wks |
| Forecasting / data analysis | 15,000 - 45,000 EUR | 200 - 900 EUR | 6 - 12 wks |
| AI brick in software | 10,000 - 35,000 EUR | 80 - 800 EUR | 4 - 10 wks |
| POC / proof of value | 5,000 - 12,000 EUR | Included | 2 - 4 wks |
Hidden costs to anticipate
These explain the gap between an initial quote and the real bill.
| Hidden item | Share of budget | Why it's critical |
|---|---|---|
| Data preparation / cleaning | 20 - 40 % | No clean data, no reliability |
| Quality evaluation | 5 - 15 % | Measures reliability before production |
| Change management | 5 - 15 % | Adoption by teams |
| Monitoring / retraining | 150 - 1,500 EUR/month | Avoids degradation over time |
| Guardrails + GDPR compliance | 5 - 12 % | Reduces legal risk |
Mini case study
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Claire, CEO of a 180-person industrial SME in Berlin, hesitates between a 40,000 EUR AI project upfront and a phased approach. She starts with a POC at 9,000 EUR on a single case (automatic summarisation of quality reports), over 3 weeks. The POC shows 55 % time saved on that task and an underestimated data-cleaning need. She then industrialises for 28,000 EUR + 450 EUR/month, a budget framed by the POC. Result: ~9,000 EUR of risk avoided on a case that might not have convinced, and a final budget kept within 15 % instead of the classic 40 to 60 % overrun.
FAQ
Why run a POC? A POC at 5,000-12,000 EUR over 2 to 4 weeks validates real value and reveals hidden costs (especially data quality) before committing the big budget. It is the most cost-effective anti-waste insurance.
Why is data so expensive? Because a model's reliability directly depends on clean, centralised, consistent data. Cleaning commonly represents 20 to 40 % of the budget of a serious AI project.
What minimum budget for a real project? Below 10,000 EUR, you stay in POC or light-tooling territory. An industrialised use case with integration and guardrails generally starts around 10,000 to 15,000 EUR.
How do I avoid the gimmick effect? By choosing a use case with measurable ROI (hours saved, sales recovered, cost per ticket) and setting success metrics at scoping. Without metrics, an AI project impresses but does not pay.
What are the recurring costs? Between 150 and 1,500 EUR/month by volume: API, hosting, monitoring and retraining. Neglecting them leads to silent quality degradation.
Let's scope your project. Tell us the target use case, the state of your data and your indicative budget, and we'll propose a scoped POC followed by a costed industrialisation plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
