Service
Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO)
Senior AI leadership without the full-time hire. For Series A-C companies launching AI products, navigating EU AI Act compliance, or scaling generative AI beyond proof-of-concept. Embedded with your existing tech leadership, not replacing them.
À qui cela s'adresse
- Series A-C companies with an existing CTO or VP Engineering, but the leadership team doesn't have AI/ML depth
- AI-product companies whose board or investors want explicit AI governance signed off by a credible senior
- Healthtech, fintech, and legaltech companies facing EU AI Act, GDPR, or sector-specific AI compliance pressure
- Scale-ups whose AI features keep being "almost shipped"; pilot to production gap is the bottleneck
- PE and VC firms with portfolio companies that need an embedded AI advisor across multiple investments
- Founders preparing for fundraising who need a defensible AI story for the next round
Ce qui est inclus
- AI strategy & roadmap: 6-12 month AI feature pipeline, prioritisation framework, build-vs-buy decisions
- Model selection & vendor strategy: OpenAI / Anthropic / Google Gemini / Mistral / Cohere / open-weight (Llama, Qwen), ongoing benchmarks and switching cost analysis
- AI governance & risk management: refusal scoring, audit logging, evaluation frameworks, model risk policies
- EU AI Act + GDPR compliance: risk-tier classification, Articles 9-15 documentation, GPAI obligations, DPIA support, Transfer Impact Assessments
- Sector-specific AI compliance: ACPR / BaFin / FINMA (finance), HDS / FDA-21CFR-11 (health), TISAX (automotive), DORA (financial services)
- AI talent strategy: when to hire ML engineers, what to look for, interview design, contractor vs FTE decisions
- Board & investor AI reporting: quarterly AI posture summaries, due-diligence prep, defensive AI documentation for fundraising
- Vendor evaluation & cost optimisation: API spend audits, prompt engineering for cost, caching strategies, eval-driven model downgrades
Comment nous collaborons
- 1
AI readiness audit (2 weeks)
Audit your current AI usage, team composition, model spend, compliance gaps, and product roadmap. Deliverable: a written AI posture assessment with prioritised recommendations and a 90-day action plan.
- 2
Engagement start
Embedded with your tech leadership within 1-2 weeks. Shared Slack, weekly syncs with CTO/VP Eng, monthly board-pack contributions, and a running AI decision log.
- 3
Ongoing cadence
Typically 3-5 days per month, scaling with AI product velocity. Monthly retainer. Available for ad-hoc strategy calls (model launches, compliance escalations, vendor decisions).
- 4
Quarterly AI reviews
Every 90 days: a written review of AI posture, model spend, compliance status, talent gaps, and roadmap progress. Re-prioritisation explicit.
- 5
Handover
When you hire a full-time CAIO or grow your CTO into the role, clean handover with all decision logs, vendor contracts, compliance artifacts, and team relationships intact.
Résultats attendus
- A defensible AI roadmap your board and investors can scrutinise
- EU AI Act risk-tier classification and Article 9-15 documentation in place
- Model spend reduced 20-40% via prompt engineering, caching, and eval-driven model selection
- AI feature ship-rate doubled; pilot-to-production gap closed
- A hiring plan for the 1-3 ML engineers you actually need (not 10 you don't)
- Refusal scoring + audit logging in production for high-stakes AI workflows
- Board-ready quarterly AI posture summaries
- A clear answer on "build vs buy" for every AI component in your stack
- Sector-specific compliance posture (ACPR, BaFin, HDS, DORA) reviewed and documented
- Due-diligence-ready AI documentation for your next fundraise
Questions fréquentes
How is a CAIO different from a CTO?
A CTO leads the entire engineering function: architecture, hiring, vendor strategy, team culture. A CAIO focuses specifically on AI: strategy, governance, model selection, compliance, AI talent. Most Series A-C companies have a competent CTO who isn't deep in AI/ML. The CAIO sits alongside the CTO, providing the AI depth they don't have. They're complements, not substitutes.
When does a company need a Fractional CAIO?
Three trigger points: (1) you're launching or scaling an AI product and the board wants oversight; (2) you're facing EU AI Act, GDPR, or sector-specific AI compliance pressure your existing leadership doesn't know how to handle; (3) your AI features keep getting stuck in pilot. Pilot-to-production is a leadership problem, not a tech problem.
What's your AI-specific experience?
Production AI work across regulated finance (Geneva hedge-fund RAG), proptech (AU), civic AI (Emissary), construction CV (Dubai), brand-safe creative AI (Paris adtech), and three solo-built AI products (Privox, AskVault, Ottari). Published research on Compliance-Aware RAG (CARAG). Hands-on with Llama, Mistral, Qwen fine-tuning. EU AI Act and GDPR work since the 2024 enforcement window opened.
Can you work alongside our existing CTO?
Yes. This is the default setup. The CTO runs the broader engineering organisation; I focus on AI strategy, model risk, compliance posture, and AI talent. Most successful CAIO engagements look like: CTO + CAIO + (eventually) a small ML team. The CAIO doesn't lead day-to-day engineering; they lead the AI function within it.
Do you handle AI governance for board / investor scrutiny?
Yes. This is a core part of every Fractional CAIO engagement. Quarterly board-pack contributions covering AI posture, model risk, compliance status, and product roadmap. Due-diligence preparedness for funding rounds. Defensive AI documentation for acquirer reviews. Investor-facing technical narratives when needed.
What about EU AI Act compliance specifically?
The EU AI Act enforcement window opened in August 2024 with full applicability by August 2026. A Fractional CAIO engagement typically covers: risk-tier classification (prohibited / high-risk / limited / minimal), Articles 9-15 documentation for high-risk systems, GPAI obligations for foundation-model users, DPIA / Transfer Impact Assessments (Schrems II), and crosswalks with ISO/IEC 42001 and 23894. Final sign-off rests with your DPO or legal counsel; what I deliver is a defensible, documented compliance posture.
Remote or on-site?
Remote-first with on-site days in Paris and short on-site sprints across Europe. Most engagements run 100% remote with weekly syncs and async daily updates. US East Coast time-zone overlap is 3-4 hours daily (your morning, my afternoon).
How long is a typical CAIO engagement?
Typically 3-12 months. The shorter end (3-6 months) suits compliance preparedness sprints (e.g. preparing for EU AI Act deadline, due-diligence prep before a funding round). The longer end (6-12 months) suits embedded AI strategy for companies actively scaling AI products. Engagements often extend into full-time CAIO hire planning, where I help you scope the role and find the candidate.
Specialised industry verticals
Industry-specific CAIO engagements with vertical-tuned playbooks. Different regulatory exposure, different AI feature priorities, different buyer profile per vertical.
CAIO for Ecommerce & D2C
Shopify, Amazon FBA, BigCommerce, D2C brands at $5M-$50M ARR. AI personalisation, recommendation engines, AI customer service, content automation, demand forecasting.
CAIO for FinTech & RegTech
Regulated financial services. AI governance for ACPR / BaFin / FINMA / FCA, model risk management, RAG on financial filings, AI fraud detection, AI lending models.
CAIO for B2B SaaS
Seed to Series B B2B SaaS launching AI features. AI feature strategy, build-vs-buy, RAG architecture, LLM cost optimisation, model selection, AI governance.
CAIO for Real Estate & PropTech
Brokerages, property management firms, REITs, developers, proptech startups. AI lead generation, listing automation, document drafting, tenant/buyer matching, predictive valuation.
CAIO for Healthcare & Telehealth
Medical practices, telehealth, healthtech startups, insurers, wellness brands. HIPAA-compliant AI, EU AI Act high-risk, clinical documentation, patient engagement, claims automation.
CAIO for Marketing Agencies
Creative, performance, PR, digital and full-service agencies (10-200 employees). AI content production at scale, automated client reporting, ad-creative variation, brand-tuning.
CAIO for Manufacturing & Industry 4.0
Mid-market manufacturers, automotive Tier-2/3, aerospace, chemical, food & beverage. Predictive maintenance, CV quality control, supply chain forecasting, energy optimisation.
Parlons de votre projet
Réservez un appel de cadrage gratuit de 30 min. Sans paiement, sans deck, sans relance. Si l'IA n'est pas la bonne réponse à votre problème, vous le saurez pendant l'appel.