AI Consulting · Training · Implementation
3th Floor Studios is a boutique consulting firm for teams that need working AI, not another slide deck. We train our own models, run live AI infrastructure, and put real systems into production. Then we help you do the same.
AI Journey #33 / August 14, 2026
45 posts in. A server in the basement. Local models. No API keys. An engine I built called Laconic, now published for anyone to use.
Read it →
Latest Lab
Can AI catch its own confident nonsense? We built a tool, ran it against 10 prompts, and tested it live.
See the experiment →
3th Floor Studios is a sponsor of CAST 2026, the Conference for the Association for Software Testing. We're not just writing a check. Our founder is running a full-day workshop for professional testers: live model comparisons, a fine-tuned AI on a USB drive, and frameworks you can use the week you get home.
August 3, 2026
CAST 2026 Conference Details About the model → See the demos →Featured Session · Full Day Workshop
What One Director and an AI Staff Can Actually Achieve
Presented by Justin Bench, Founder · 3th Floor Studios
A full-day hands-on workshop covering what most AI training skips: why default settings sabotage you before you type a word, how to recognize confident AI nonsense, how to prompt like a director instead of a search engine, and what it looks like to own a fine-tuned model trained on your own domain. Every attendee leaves with a working AI model on a USB drive. No API key, no subscription, no internet required.
MON AUG 3 · 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM · BREAKOUT 3
What We Do
Every engagement starts with your actual problem, not a product we're trying to sell. Here's where we're strongest.
Personalized AI strategy and implementation for individuals and teams. We sit with you, map your workflow, and build the AI habits and tooling that fit it. No generic playbooks.
Tell us what you're trying to build. Book a session →
Hands-on sessions where your team builds something real with AI, not watches someone else do it. Full-day workshops, half-day intensives, or ongoing cohorts designed around your tools.
Bring your team. Leave with something that works. Book a session →
We build AI-powered tools and systems that ship: monitoring agents, review pipelines, custom assistants, and internal automation that runs in production, not in a sandbox.
Also building apps and SaaS on demand. Have an idea worth automating? Let's scope it →
15+ years of Savant and Control4 expertise. Design, programming, and support for residential and commercial automation, now with AI-assisted diagnostics in the mix.
Tell us about your space. We'll make it smarter. Get in touch →
Professional recording studio with Shure SM7B mics and remote interview capabilities via Squadcast. Concept to final edit, including full post-production.
Got a show in your head? Let's record it. Start here →
Cinematic production from concept to delivery. Training videos, corporate storytelling, color grading, and post-production in Final Cut Pro.
Tell us the story. We'll handle the cameras. Get in touch →
FAA Part 107 certified drone pilot. Landscape, real estate, and architectural photography. Ground and aerial combined for complete property coverage.
Show us the property. We'll get the shot. Book a session →
Professional voice-over for training videos, corporate narration, and commercial projects. Clear, confident delivery backed by deep technical subject matter expertise.
Send us your script. Hear it read right. Get in touch →
What Clients Say
A few words from people who've been in the room.
“Most organizations trying to keep up with AI right now end up burning millions with very little to show for it. What sets Justin apart is that he shows you where these tools genuinely shine and where they fall short… absolutely zero "AI tech bro" hype. He gets straight into the mechanics of why AI behaves the way it does, and he makes it land for people at every level, whether you’re just curious or already building.”
read more →Gwen Iarussi
Athena IQ · Holladay, UT
"I run a commercial landscape company. AI was not on my radar as something that applied to what I do. Justin showed me in one session how much time I was spending on things it could handle in minutes. Follow-ups, scheduling challenges, even using AI for email replies, which I was already doing, improved dramatically."
Mike Sutton
Owner, Summit Seeding · South Jordan, UT
"Working with Justin Bench at 3th Floor was one of the most valuable investments we've made in our AI strategy. Rather than focusing on AI for the sake of AI, Justin challenged us to think about practical implementation: how to integrate it into our products and workflows in ways that measurably improve productivity, decision-making, and customer outcomes. I highly recommend Justin to any organization looking for practical, results-driven AI consulting."
Michael Thomas
Brightlane Systems · Salt Lake City, UT
“Justin took my AI workflow from overly detailed and theoretical to something I actually use every day. Real solutions that save time and have made a genuine difference in how we operate.”
David Shake
CTO, Fusion Solutions Group
“I’ve worked with a lot of sharp people over the years. Justin is the one I call when I need to cut through the noise on AI. He’s clear, he’s practical, and he meets you exactly where you are. Highly recommended.”
Doug Schendt
Technology Executive (Retired)
“Justin is phenomenal. He has a unique ability to connect with people in a way that is disarming, inviting, and genuinely engaging. Whether he is working one-on-one or facilitating a room full of people, he creates an environment where individuals feel comfortable participating, asking questions, and sharing their perspectives.”
read more →Aaron Andrus
CIO · Salt Lake City, UT
Your Consultant
Founder · AI Strategy & L&D
Twenty years translating between smart engineers and distracted executives. Hotel networking, lighting automation, smart home hardware, electrochromic glass, military drones. Different industries, same job: make the technology make sense to the people who needed it to work.
3th Floor Studios launched in spring 2024. The AI journey started quietly: Gemini, web search, one door cracked open at a time. Then vibe coding. Then, when the payroll ended in late 2025, the door swung wide. One person, an AI staff, a full operation running on owned hardware. The director without a seat on someone else's org chart.
Everything documented at 3thfloor.com/ai-journey.
Certified instructional designer. FAA Part 107 drone pilot. IBM Generative AI certified.
Follow the Work
Training a language model from scratch, running live AI experiments, documenting what works and what doesn't. Read it, subscribe, judge it yourself.
Drop a local AI model into any app. Load it, ask it something, get an answer back. No subscription, no API key, nothing phoning home. Streaming, conversation history, tool calling, multiple models at once. One install. Works in Node.js and Python.
Stay in the loop
New posts, lab experiments, and occasional opinionated takes. No filler.
Get In Touch
First conversation is free. Bring a real problem and we'll tell you honestly whether AI helps, and what it would take.
Or just email: [email protected]
Stay Connected
New posts, lab experiments, and field notes from the CAST demo build. No filler, no schedule theater.
Support the Work
The lab runs on repurposed hardware and stubbornness. Better equipment means more experiments, more trained models, and more findings worth sharing.
Support on Ko-fi3th Floor AI
Ask me about services, the AI journey, or CAST 2026