About

About the Studio

Actual Intelligence Labs is an AI-systems studio and research lab founded in Sarasota, Florida in 2026. We find the digital friction in a business, the manual work, the double entry, the follow-ups that slip, and build the custom AI system that removes it.

Two founders run it. One builds and runs the business side; the other leads engineering. Both ship.

Building What's Next.
Zach Kellman
Co-founder
CEO

Who Is Zach Kellman?

Zach Kellman is co-founder and CEO of Actual Intelligence Labs. He runs the build practice, finance, and marketing, and he is the person a client talks to first. He thinks through the downstream before acting, which is why every engagement starts with diagnosis rather than a tool list.

Zach writes the studio's market and access analyses and directs applied AI experiments, connecting what the lab learns with the business problems clients bring to the team.

Drake Griffith
Co-founder
CTOHead of Security

Who Is Drake Griffith?

Drake Griffith is co-founder, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Security. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and built his background in AI at a digital solutions agency, designing automation and AI systems for businesses from local firms to large enterprises.

Drake leads engineering, applied research, and our security approach. He designs experiments such as the context-rot measurements and sets the direction for access controls, AI guardrails, and verification. Read how AIL handles security.

How Do We Work?

We do not sell from a preset menu. We map where a business loses time, money, and attention, then build the system that fixes that one problem first. The first build is scoped tightly, priced up front, and shipped by the same people who diagnosed it.

For CORE Insights Group, we built two sites with AI assistants and an SEO/AEO system. They guide visitors, capture CRM leads, and let the team review chats and track usage.

Where Are We?

We're located in Sarasota, Florida. We work with businesses across the Gulf Coast, from Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch to Venice, Tampa, and St. Petersburg, and remotely with clients across the United States. Most work happens over video and shared systems, with the same team handling diagnosis and the build.

Reach us at +1 941-529-1698 or interested@actualintelligencelabs.ai. Contact hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm Eastern.

Common Questions

Who owns Actual Intelligence Labs?
The company is owned equally by its two co-founders, Zach Kellman and Drake Griffith. There are no outside investors.
When was Actual Intelligence Labs founded?
The studio was founded in Sarasota, Florida in 2026. The website launched in June 2026 and the research section has published since then.
Is Actual Intelligence Labs a consultancy or a builder?
Both, in that order. Every engagement starts with a diagnosis of where AI pays off, but the same team then builds and ships the system. We do not hand off a slide deck.
Do you only work with Sarasota businesses?
No. We are based in Sarasota and work with businesses across the Gulf Coast, but we build for clients anywhere in the United States. Most of the work happens over video and shared systems.
Who writes the research?
Drake Griffith writes most of the field notes and reports and designs the experiments. Zach Kellman writes the market and model-access analyses. Every post carries a byline and a sources list.
Who leads security at Actual Intelligence Labs?
Drake Griffith is our co-founder, CTO and Head of Security. He leads the security approach alongside engineering and applied research.

Keep Exploring

Chalk stick figure in a hard hat presenting a little machine of blue gears it just built

Bring us the bottleneck.
We’ll build the system.

Building What's Next.