1 hour
AU$450
Work through one question or try one task together.
Enquire about 1 hourdsq.studio
AI advice. In person. In Canberra.
I’m Aqeel Akber. Scientist, founder, and a very curious person.
I offer working sessions for Canberra government teams and businesses, focused on work you already need to do. In an hour or two, we can question an idea, test an approach, and work out where AI helps.
AI consulting since 2018 The Synthrole Manifesto · 2024 Opening keynote, AI in Government 2025
Work together
Bring your curiosity.
I’ll bring mine.
Bring a task, a decision, or a question you have not yet been able to pin down. We’ll make time for the questions underneath it, then test what might help.
We meet in person in Canberra. Pick one useful piece of work for an hour or two; the aim is to leave your team better able to carry it forward.
Your work, in the room
We start with a task you already need to do, using your team’s knowledge and the tools available to you.
Work directly with me
I ask questions, explain my thinking, and try things alongside you. I work with you directly, from the first conversation to the session.
Capability that stays
We make the reasoning and checks explicit, so you can repeat what works and recognise when it doesn’t.
2 hours
AU$900
Explore a task with your team, test an approach, and agree what to check next.
Enquire about 2 hoursIndicative prices in Australian dollars, excluding GST. Regular sessions by arrangement.
Book one session, or arrange a regular time. We agree the purpose and price before you book.
Start with a free scoping conversation to see whether I can help.
Information for procurementSupplier details, rates and a description you can copy into your system.
dsq.studio · Supplier information
Supplier details
- Legal entity
- DSQ STUDIO PTY LTD
- ABN
- 72 674 954 119
- ACN
- 674 954 119
- GST
- Registered from 1 October 2024
- Consultant
- Aqeel Akber
- [email protected]
- Office
- Suite 2.02, Level 2, 131 City Walk, Canberra 2601
- Website
- https://dsq.studio
Legal entity, ABN, ACN and GST registration checked against the Australian Business Register on 22 October 2026.
Service description
In-person AI advice and practical working sessions for Canberra government teams and businesses, delivered by Aqeel Akber. Sessions develop understanding, test approaches and build the team’s capability. Purpose, timing and price agreed in a written quote.
Indicative rates
- Free scoping conversation
- No charge
- 1 hour
- AU$450
- 2 hours
- AU$900
All rates are indicative, in Australian dollars and excluding GST. Regular sessions by arrangement.
How to engage
- Start with a free scoping conversation.
- Agree a written quote with the scope, rates and timing.
- Confirm the booking.
Please include any purchase order requirements or vendor onboarding forms with your enquiry.
For payment details, insurance documentation or organisation-specific supplier forms, please contact [email protected].
FAQ
Before we sit down.
Who are these sessions for?
Canberra government teams and businesses. We meet in person and work directly together. We agree who should be in the room and what would make the time useful when we scope the session.
What can we get done in an hour or two?
We choose one focused question or piece of work. A useful aim might be a decision you can explain, an approach you have tried, or checks your team can reuse. We agree a realistic aim first, including what will need more work afterwards.
Do we need to know about AI, or even be convinced?
No. Scepticism is welcome. We can examine a claim, compare an AI-assisted approach with the way you work now, or decide that a task is better done without AI. We start with what you know and what you want to understand.
What do you mean by AI agents?
An AI agent can use tools and take several steps towards a task. That makes permissions, checks and knowing when to stop important. We can explore where this is useful and where a simpler approach makes more sense.
What about the people whose work might change?
The starting point is the people doing the work. We can examine what helps them, what expertise must stay involved, and the consequences of a proposed change. Decisions about roles belong with your organisation and the people affected.
Can we use our approved tools and information?
We first check what tools and information your organisation permits for the session. We can use public material or a made-up example while access or approvals are being resolved. Please don’t send sensitive material with an initial enquiry.
Is this a retainer or a contractor placement?
These are direct advice and working sessions with me. Your team keeps responsibility for its work, and you can book a single session. Follow-up sessions are optional. Ongoing delivery or extra staffing is a different brief.
What does it cost, and how do we book?
Indicative prices are AU$450 for one hour and AU$900 for two hours, excluding GST. Start with a free scoping conversation; I then send a written quote for the agreed purpose, time and price. The procurement pack has supplier details. Let me know about purchase orders or onboarding requirements before booking.
Approach
I will always be a scientist.
At dsq.studio we bridge the technical, business, and human aspects of digital technology. We are serious about creating the future where the most promising emerging technology is integrated ethically and seamlessly into our daily lives.
Our approach is practical and pragmatic: (1) intelligently apply future technology so that it may be used today, (2) iterate and amplify the value it brings in context.
Curiosity is how I work. I listen, ask questions, and help people uncover what they know — and what they have yet to ask. Then we make something we can try, observe and learn from.
I’ve been consulting on AI since 2018. As a founder and director of Thaum in Canberra, I worked with people across government, industry and research to understand their problems and build technology that could help. That work spanned computer vision, machine learning, data science and commercialisation.
Thaum continues today; I now work independently through dsq.studio. Explore Thaum’s work
Selected organisations, through Thaum
My work at Thaum included projects with the Royal Australian Air Force, Evolution Mining, NOPSEMA, the Australian Antarctic Program, ACIAR, CSIRO and Data61, the Australian National University, The Creative Element, and DISR and AusIndustry.
After leaving Thaum, I made space through dsq.studio to study and experiment with generative AI. I wanted to understand what these new systems could actually do, where they failed, and how they could change the way we work.
AI agents are now part of my daily practice: research, software, operations and building companies. I work with them, build systems around them, and keep testing where human judgement belongs.
Working with agents
That hands-on practice matters when we sit down together. We can inspect a result, work through a failure, and decide what to delegate and what needs a person. We can also decide that an agent adds more complexity than the task warrants.
More room to be human
I’m proudly non-binary. Equity matters to me, and AI makes the question of who gets to shape our future more urgent. I want this technology to give more people the freedom to think, create and act.
That starts with the people in the room. I make space for different experiences and ways of thinking. Together, we use them to question assumptions, notice what an answer misses, and explore possibilities we might not see alone.
WhalePOD
At Thaum, I led WhalePOD through CSIRO’s ON Accelerate 7 in 2023. I was awarded the Stanford Australia Foundation–CSIRO Scholarship, which took me to Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Watch my CSIRO showcase presentationResearch
A studio for ideas
that become real.
Independent research sits alongside the client work. Qualia began here as an exploration of human and artificial intelligence, and grew into Meos Labs.
Explore MeosOpening keynote · AI in Government
Beyond Wisdom
My opening keynote at AI in Government in Canberra, July 2025, on intelligence, judgement and what we choose to do with technology.
Writing
Human/AI Team Building
Thinking about people, tools and the roles they form together.