What is a Fractional Chief AI Officer?
A Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO) is an executive-level AI strategist who works with your organization on a part-time basis, typically a few hours per month. Instead of hiring a full-time Chief AI Officer at $250,000+ annually, you get dedicated AI leadership, governance, strategy, and accountability on a monthly retainer. Think of it as having a C-suite AI executive who focuses exclusively on your organization for a scoped number of hours each month.
How much does a Fractional Chief AI Officer cost?
I offer two tiers. The Advisor tier is $1,750/month for small businesses with 10 to 100 employees and includes up to 2 hours of live strategy per month. The Operator tier is $3,500/month for small to mid-sized businesses with 50 to 500 employees and includes up to 4 hours of live strategy per month. Both include quarterly opportunity scans and async communication between sessions. A 6-month minimum commitment is required, and month-to-month is available after that for an additional $500/month.
Do I really need a CAIO if I'm not a Fortune 500 company?
Yes, if your board is asking about AI, your teams are experimenting with tools, or you're worried about competitors moving faster. You don't need a full-time CAIO, but you do need strategy and governance so that AI investments pay off instead of disappearing into sunk costs. 70 percent of executives say they need outside help to extract AI value. A fractional CAIO is that outside help on a budget that makes sense for a small or mid-market business.
What's the difference between a Fractional CAIO and an AI consultant?
Consultants typically come in, audit your situation, deliver a report, and disappear. A fractional CAIO is embedded in your business long-term. You get ongoing accountability, continuity, and someone who knows your context over time. I'm both a strategist and a builder, so when something needs to be built alongside the strategy, I can scope and ship it rather than hand off to a different vendor.
What's the difference between a Fractional CAIO and a full-time hire?
A full-time CAIO costs $250,000 or more annually plus benefits and equity, takes 3 to 6 months to hire, and is a permanent commitment. A fractional CAIO costs $21,000 to $42,000 annually and runs on a 6-month initial commitment. The trade-off is hours: a full-time CAIO works 40 hours a week, a fractional CAIO works 2 to 4 hours a month. For most small and mid-market companies, that scoped monthly time is more than enough to set strategy, govern AI use, and keep the most important project moving.
What size company is this for?
The Advisor tier ($1,750/mo) works best for small businesses with 10 to 100 employees that have board-level AI questions but aren't yet ready to scale across the organization. The Operator tier ($3,500/mo) is designed for small to mid-sized businesses with 50 to 500 employees that need strategy, governance, and quarterly board-ready reports. If you have more than 500 employees or need more than 4 hours per month, we can discuss a custom tier.
How do you stay in touch between sessions?
Between live strategy sessions, we stay aligned through async communication: email and Loom for quick questions, vendor evaluations, and decisions that don't need a meeting. The live hours on each tier are where we do the heavy work, and async keeps you from being blocked while waiting for the next session.
How fast can I expect results?
The first 30 days are discovery and alignment. The next 30 are design and roadmap. By day 90 your first priority process is in motion. The real value of a fractional CAIO compounds over the full 6-month engagement, which is why I don't offer shorter terms. Month one is diagnosis, month two is design, months three through six are execution and optimization.
What if I already have a CTO or IT director?
Perfect. A CTO owns technical architecture and implementation. A fractional CAIO owns business strategy, governance, and ROI accountability. These roles are complementary, not competitive. Many of my clients have both, and we work closely with their CTO to align priorities, vet vendors, and ensure technical decisions ladder up to business outcomes. I translate between business and technical worlds, so your CTO and your board speak the same language about AI.
Do you actually build AI tools, or just advise?
I do both. Strategy is the core of the fractional CAIO service, but I also ship custom AI tools, automations, and integrations. If a retainer client needs something built alongside the strategy, we scope it separately at $2,000 to $5,000 per build. Builds are delivered in 2 to 4 weeks. I'm not a consultant who only advises. I'm a builder and strategist, which means your roadmap actually gets built.
What does the 6-month minimum mean? Can I try before committing?
The 6-month minimum ensures you get real value. Months one and two are discovery and alignment. Months three through six are where the ROI emerges. If you want to test the waters first, book a free 30-minute discovery call, and we can talk through your specific situation. Many clients start with a one-off coaching session to get clarity before committing to a retainer. Month-to-month terms are available after the initial 6-month commitment for an additional $500/month, giving you flexibility to extend or adjust as you scale.
What happens after the first 90 days?
After day 90, we shift into ongoing optimization and scaling. The first priority process is in motion, governance is in place, and the board has clarity. From there we evaluate the next opportunity, optimize vendor choices, and keep your team aligned as the market shifts. Each quarter you get a board-ready report showing metrics, progress, and recommendations for the next 90 days.
Can we add custom builds to my retainer?
Yes. If you're on an Advisor or Operator retainer and need a custom AI tool, agent, workflow, or integration built, we scope it separately at $2,000 to $5,000 per build. Typical delivery is 2 to 4 weeks depending on complexity. Builds can also be purchased standalone by non-retainer clients.
Ready to move forward?
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. No pitch, no pressure. Just strategy. We'll talk about where you are, what you need, and whether a fractional CAIO is the right fit for your situation.
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