Fractional Head of AI and Chief AI Officer

Most companies now have AI activity and no one senior who owns it. Teams run pilots that never reach production, vendors pitch platforms nobody can evaluate, the bill grows, and the board keeps asking what the plan is.

A full-time Head of AI is the obvious answer and often the wrong first step. The role is expensive, slow to hire, and hard to scope before you know what AI should be doing for the business. A fractional Head of AI gives you the judgment now, for a few days a month, and makes the full-time hire easier when its time comes.

What I take responsibility for

• A short list of AI bets worth making. Which use cases have a business case, which are theater, and in what order to try them.
• Build, buy or wait. Vendor and model selection with the trade-offs written down, including what it will cost at production volume.
• Pilots that tell the truth. Each one designed with a baseline and a named owner, so the result is evidence and not a demo.
• Governance your teams can live with. What agents and coding tools may touch, who approves what, and how you would know afterwards what happened.
• The AI bill. Who owns it, what drives it, and where a smaller model does the job.
• Bringing the leadership team along. Regular reviews with the CEO and the board in plain language, and training for the leadership team where it is needed.

How it works

1. We start with an advisory hour so you can judge the fit before committing to anything.
2. In the first month I review what is already running, talk to the people doing the work, and come back with priorities and the first pilot.
3. From then on I work with your teams for an agreed number of days each month, on site in Hyderabad or remotely, and report to whoever owns the outcome.
4. When you are ready for a full-time AI leader, I help you define the role, interview for it and hand over.

Why me

I have spent more than 25 years building production software, including work at Citi, Virtusa, Yash and ValueLabs, and I now run 256 Technologies, an applied AI lab in Hyderabad. I wrote Implementing AI Agents in Your Company for the managers who have to make this work, and I publish my reasoning every week, so you can check how I think before we speak: start with the guide to AI strategy for leadership teams or the guide to what AI really costs.

Common questions

What is a fractional Head of AI?

A senior AI leader who works with your company part time, typically a few days a month. You get someone accountable for AI strategy, vendor and build decisions, governance and delivery review, without a full-time executive hire. Some companies call the role a fractional Chief AI Officer.

When does a fractional Head of AI make sense?

When AI decisions are piling up and nobody senior owns them: several teams are running pilots, vendors are pitching, the board is asking for a plan, and a full-time Head of AI is either premature or taking months to hire.

How is this different from hiring an AI consulting firm?

A consulting firm delivers a project and leaves. A fractional Head of AI sits on your side of the table, stays through the decisions and their consequences, and has no build team to sell you. If a project needs a vendor, I help you choose and manage one.

How long does an engagement last?

I suggest starting with a three-month term, which is long enough to set priorities, run one pilot properly and put basic governance in place. After that it can continue month to month, or end with a handover to the full-time leader you hire.

Do you work only with companies in Hyderabad?

No. I am based in Hyderabad and can be on site there easily. I work remotely with companies across India and abroad, with visits when they are useful.

How do we start?

With an advisory hour. We talk through where you are, and you get an honest view of whether a fractional arrangement fits or whether something smaller will do.

What does fractional CAIO mean?

CAIO stands for Chief AI Officer. A fractional CAIO is the same role held part time: one experienced person owns AI strategy, governance and reporting for your company for a few days a month, usually alongside other clients. Head of AI and Chief AI Officer describe the same responsibility at different company sizes.

What does a fractional Chief AI Officer cost compared with a full-time hire?

You pay for the days you use, so the cost is a fraction of a full-time executive salary, with no notice period, equity or recruitment fee. The exact figure depends on the days per month and the scope, which we agree after the first conversation.

Talk it through

The first step is a conversation. Book an AI advisory hour or write to hitesh@256tec.com.