SkillSpout / AI
AI Consulting

AI leadership, without hiring for it

Some companies don't need another project. They need someone senior to call as things change and questions come up that nobody in the building can answer yet.

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A project, or a person?

Strategy is a project. It has a start, an end, and a document at the end of it. When you need a decision made and written down, that's the right buy, and it lives on ourStrategy page.

Consulting is a person. Ongoing, retained, and available, for when the questions keep coming and you'd rather have someone who already knows your business than start over each time.

Two levels of ongoing support

Fractional Chief AI Officer

The executive seat you don't have and don't want to hire for. A senior AI leader who sits at your leadership table at a fraction of the cost of the role.

This is for owners and executives making decisions with real money behind them: what to invest in, what to ignore, how to read a vendor's pitch, what your competitors are actually doing versus what they're announcing, and how to govern what your team is already using whether you approved it or not.

Typical scope: a standing monthly leadership session, availability between sessions, vendor and tool evaluation, AI policy and governance ownership, and a roadmap that gets revisited rather than filed.

AI advisory

The same relationship one level down, for companies that want ongoing expert help without needing the executive seat. A steady hand on implementation, priorities, sequencing, and the questions your team keeps bringing you.

Typical scope: a standing working session, availability between sessions, and hands-on help with whatever is actually in front of your team that month.

Coaching sessions

Thirty minutes, one to one, on whatever someone is genuinely stuck on. Buy them individually or in a block for a team.

Who you work with

You get a senior person, not a junior consultant with a senior person's name on the invoice.

Our CEO and co-founder brings nearly three decades in software engineering, artificial intelligence, and business innovation, and leads the executive-level engagements. Our head of implementation runs the engagements where the work has to land in a real team's week. Our engineering lead owns the platform, the technical layer, and AI governance, and is who you want in the room when the question is about connectors, permissions, licensing, or what your systems can actually support.

Which of them you work with depends on what you're solving. We'd rather match the seat to the question than assign whoever is free.

Is a retainer right for you?

Usually yes, when

  • You've already done a project, with us or someone else, and the questions didn't stop
  • Your team is adopting AI faster than you can govern it, and you find out after the fact
  • You're the person everyone asks, and you're guessing
  • You're evaluating vendors and want someone in the room who doesn't have a stake in the answer
  • Something changed -- a merger, a system migration, a new customer or insurance requirement -- and AI is suddenly in a conversation you didn't plan for

Usually no, when

  • You have one clear problem and a defined outcome. Buy the project instead -- a retainer is worse value when you already know exactly what you want
  • You know what you want built. That's implementation, not advice
  • Nothing is stuck and nothing has changed. You'd be paying for availability you won't use

Not sure which one you are? That's a short conversation.

Common questions

What is a fractional Chief AI Officer?

A fractional Chief AI Officer is a senior AI executive who works with your company part-time on a monthly retainer instead of as a full-time hire. They own AI strategy, governance, and vendor decisions at the leadership level, the same way a fractional CFO owns the finance function without being on your payroll.

How is that different from hiring an AI consultant?

A consultant delivers a project and leaves. A fractional Chief AI Officer holds ongoing accountability for the direction, and is still there in three months when the decision needs revisiting. The relationship is the product.

What does it cost?

It's a monthly retainer, scoped to what you'll actually use. The number moves with cadence, the depth of governance work you need, and how many teams are involved, so we size it on a call rather than publishing a package that fits nobody. We'll also tell you if a one-time project is the better buy.

What size company is this for?

Mid-sized companies, generally those large enough to have real AI decisions in front of them and too small to justify a full-time Chief AI Officer. If you're weighing whether a dedicated AI leader is worth the salary, you're the right size for this.

Can you also train our team?

Yes, and most retainer clients do both.Trainingis what makes the advice stick, because a strategy your team can't execute is a document.

How quickly can we start?

Usually within a few weeks of the first call, depending on scope and scheduling.

Let's size it on a call

Retainers go wrong when nobody uses them. Thirty minutes and we can tell you what you'd actually use, what it would cost, and whether a project is the better buy.

Book a 30-minute call