AI Q&A with our founders: How investing in the technology has shaped our output

While we may only think that ChatGPT and AI platforms have been around for the last 12 months or so, the technology and impending shift into the mainstream for AI has been a focal point for Digital Next for some time.

Having utilised automated technology since the dawn of the agency in 2009, around three years ago, founders Mark and Justin Blackhurst began to foresee and became feasible how AI could shape the future of digital and have been investing heavily in the technology since, both in the creation of platforms and the knowledge of the Digital Next team. 

Challenging the team to invest one day per week in AI initiatives, as well as attending events and training courses, the fruits of such labour is now bearing, improving efficiency by up to 50% in some cases and seeing quadruple digit percentage increases for clients appearing in AI Overviews. 

With other parts of the industry still reluctant to invest and commit to AI, we caught up with our owners Mark and Justin to understand the importance of AI in the search space and the impact our investment in it is having on our own business and our clients’.

Hi both, you’ve long been champions of AI at Digital Next. When did you first realise that this is a pathway we should be taking seriously?

J: Our investment in AI started long before the recent surge in generative tools. We were exploring machine learning and automation over three years ago, initially focusing on areas like translation, localisation and data processing. Since then, we’ve continually upskilled through Google-led training, invite-only tech summits in London, and hands-on experimentation with AI platforms. More recently, we’ve completed multiple structured AI courses across SEO, paid media, automation and data analysis, combined with hundreds of hours of internal testing and team training.

M: We started to learn, and first heard of it, not in its current form but even a decade ago  with machine learning companies, trying a few things back then to do with translation and localisation of language, as well as chatbots and trialling internally developed bid management tools. Things then started to develop, so we regularly go to Google events in London and tech summit type personal invitation events, making a conscious effort to speak and learn from forward thinking experts in the space. 

How has the increased knowledge of AI evolved the work done at Digital Next?

M: We realised with the advent of ChatGPT, Gemini and things such as agents that it could be a very complementary skill for our staff to learn, from research to going as far as developing our own software AI tools like we have now.

While AI isn’t a magic bullet that does everything in seconds while you put your feet up, it does make it much more achievable. If you know on a technical level what the output needs to be and how to achieve that output, then AI can be your best friend.

For clients, we have built prototype systems that we are excited to work on, as well as a lot of ‘volume work’. Hooking up an AI API to some Excel or Google Sheet scripts opens up how powerful a spreadsheet really is as a workplace tool!

For us as a business, we have been building a suite of tools that we can use internally to help productivity for all departments from sales through to product delivery.

J: AI has fundamentally changed how we plan, execute and measure performance. Rather than replacing people, it amplifies our team’s expertise. We’ve developed proprietary tools and workflows including AI-powered SEO analysis, AI-Visibility™ frameworks for AI-search platforms, automated reporting, content intelligence systems, and internal agents that support research, forecasting and quality control. This allows our team to spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on strategy, creativity and commercial impact for clients.

How has this improved efficiency in our day-to-day and for our clients?

J: Across the business, AI has delivered efficiency gains of between 30–50% depending on the task. Research, reporting, technical audits and content planning that once took days can now be completed in hours. For clients, this means faster turnaround, deeper insight and more frequent optimisation without increasing fees. Importantly, the time saved is reinvested into higher-value work such as strategy, testing and innovation, rather than simply doing the same work quicker.

As a result, clients have seen over 1,000% increases in AI Overviews, ranking improvements and significant traffic boosts, all driving more meaningful growth for the businesses we work with.

M: It has improved efficiency through some of the tools we have built; being able to pull stats and data from different services onto one search reduces how much time it takes for people to collect the data we look at most. But, in truth, the cost savings and improvements for our clients can be unlimited.

We completed a recent task for an ecommerce client that was quoted £170K and three months to complete. With the help of AI we completed the task in around a week for a tiny fraction of the quoted price. 

How do we expect AI to further evolve and transform how we work with clients?

J: AI will continue to shift our role from execution-heavy to strategy-led. As automation handles more of the repetitive and technical groundwork, agencies like Digital Next will focus on interpretation, commercial decision-making and creative problem-solving. We also expect AI-search platforms to change how brands are discovered, which is why we’re already investing in AI-Visibility beyond traditional Google rankings. Ultimately, AI will allow us to be more proactive partners, not just service providers.

M: In an era where organisations adopt automation tech faster than ever, most businesses still see pilots sit idle and projects fail to deliver impact. At DigitalNext, we believe the real challenge isn’t the technology – it’s adoption, trust, and human context. That’s why Automation AI was designed around people, not just platforms.

True automation isn’t about replacing work, it’s about freeing people to focus on what they do best by seamlessly blending human insight with AI-powered execution.

How has leadership, standards and culture played a role in adopting AI effectively?

J: AI only works in high-standard environments. One of the biggest challenges in any business is the gradual erosion of standards, often because difficult conversations are avoided. We’ve spent January resetting expectations across the business – not an easy task, but a necessary one. AI has actually helped support this by creating clarity, consistency and accountability in how work is delivered. When standards are clear, performance improves. In the end, everyone wins by working in a high-performing environment that’s focused on progress, not comfort.

M: At Digital Next, we’ve found that AI adoption works best when leadership, standards and culture are in place. Strong leadership gives AI clear purpose and ensures it’s tied to real business outcomes, not just experimentation.

During our extensive training, we’ve also been influenced by some of the leading thinkers and practitioners in AI from highly successful organisations. Their enthusiasm, insight and experience have shaped our approach and strengthened how we apply AI in practice.

Ultimately, AI success is as much about people and mindset as it is about technology.

We specialise in designing, building, and delivering the type of bespoke AI and automation solutions that can help your business to grow faster, work smarter, and can get – and keep you – ahead of your competitors.

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