Here are some situations when a fractional AI Officer makes sense:

Don’t want a full-time executive

Budgeting for a full-time AI Executive can seem daunting. According to Salary.com the median cost for a full-time CIO is $320,497, while the range typically falls between $272,218 and $376,709. 

Enter the fractional executive, a business and technical leader who divides their time between several businesses, providing each with top-level expertise at a fraction of the cost.

One way to think about the fractional executive model is that most executives create 80% of their value from 20% of their effort. Thus, a fractional AI Officer is totally focused on maximizing their time for value creation.

Don’t need a full-time executive

Not every role in a business requires a full-time commitment. The AI Officer role at small and mid-sized enterprises often does not need to be a full-time role.

And, having one person attempt to hold the AI role and another possibly related or lower level role in the company is suboptimal.

The reason for this is focus. It can be difficult to think about the future and innovation when you are constantly dealing with day-to-day issues.

See: Why focus is a leadership superpower

Can’t find the right fit executive

Today’s market for executive level talent is exceptionally competitive. It can take from six to nine months to find an available qualified candidate using traditional methods.

This means months of lost opportunity to create value for the business. Change is happening too fast to allow for this long of a gap in leadership.