Your Chief AI Officer, by the fraction
Redrock CAIO puts a senior technical architect in your AI leadership seat part-time. One accountable owner for what your AI is for, what it costs and whether it is safe, reporting to your leadership team and board.
The seat most companies have not filled
Few large companies have a dedicated AI executive yet. Crist|Kolder counted only 10.7% of Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies with a Chief AI Officer or equivalent title as of mid-2026. Source: Crist|Kolder 2026 Mid-Year Volatility Report, via CFO Dive, Oct 2026
Value is concentrated in the companies that get it right. McKinsey's 2026 survey found 37% of organizations attribute at least some EBIT to AI, and only about 6% qualify as high performers. Source: McKinsey, "The state of AI in 2026", Aug 2026 BCG found only 5% of companies are "future-built" and getting substantial value from AI. Source: BCG Build for the Future 2025, via PR Newswire, Sep 2025
Meanwhile, 64% of CEOs in IBM's study said they invest in some technologies before they understand the value. Source: IBM IBV and Oxford Economics CEO study, May 2025
Many companies do not need a full-time CAIO yet. They do need someone to own the AI seat now.
What your CAIO owns
Business-aligned AI strategy
Every initiative gets an owner, a success measure and an operating estimate before it is funded. We decide what to build, buy or stop.
AI cost control, designed in
AI spend reporting tied to outcomes, with cost levers applied as we go. 98% of FinOps teams now manage AI spend, up from 31% two years earlier. Source: FinOps Foundation, State of FinOps 2026
Well-architected AI, not agent sprawl
Architecture review of every new AI initiative before it is funded, against published frameworks.
Running through all three: secure AI use and training, so adoption grows without shadow-AI risk.
What is included
- Ownership of the AI roadmap and portfolio, kept current
- Architecture review before funding, for every new AI initiative
- AI spend reporting tied to business outcomes
- Vendor and platform decisions made on fit, not on partner incentives. We take no reseller, referral or partner fees.
- Governance and secure-use policies, kept current as tools and rules change
- Regular reporting to your leadership team and board
The role is advisory. We own the plan; your leadership makes the call.
Three tiers, scoped to your goals
Start small. Scale when it pays.
How engagements are scoped. Every engagement is scoped and fixed in a written Statement of Work before any work begins. It sets out what is included, who will do the work and how long it runs, so there are no surprises. It starts with a short conversation about your goals, followed by a written proposal for your review.
The AI Cost and Architecture Diagnostic. A fixed-scope assessment over 3 to 4 weeks. We map where AI is used, what it costs, what it returns and what to do first. You leave with a board-ready 90-day plan. Scoped in your Statement of Work.
Your CAIO seat, part-time. About one day a week. Your CAIO owns the plan from the Baseline and sees it through, joins a monthly leadership meeting and presents to the board quarterly. Scoped in your Statement of Work.
More time in the seat. For platform build-outs, multi-team rollouts and heavier board reporting. About two days a week. Your CAIO joins a weekly leadership meeting and presents to the board quarterly. Scoped in your Statement of Work.
What an engagement looks like
An illustrative example based on the kind of company we work with. It shows the approach, the phases and what you receive at each one. It is not a completed project and claims no results.
The company
- A national services company with 30+ years in business
- Serves large national retail and hospitality chains across thousands of client locations
- Three core departments: service and dispatch, accounting, and sales
- A solid tech stack and an in-house tech lead, looking for senior experience to lead the AI side
How it runs
Process audit.
Across service and dispatch, accounting and sales. Mostly remote interviews with each team, plus on-site time to see the work first-hand. We measure how work actually gets done today.
You receive: a current-state map of each department's key workflows, hand-offs, systems and data.
AI opportunity map and implementation plan.
We map where AI fits, where simple automation fits better, and where nothing should change. Each opportunity gets an owner, a success measure and a priority.
You receive: a ranked opportunity map, each item marked build, buy or stop, and a phased implementation plan ready for leadership and the board.
Implementation.
Build work runs on its own Statement of Work, by our Custom Development team or a partner you choose.
CAIO leadership and board reporting.
A principal architect takes the CAIO seat, owns the plan and holds the work to it. Your CAIO joins a weekly leadership meeting and presents to the board quarterly.
You receive: one accountable owner for the AI roadmap, regular progress reporting against the plan, and a quarterly board session.
How it is set up
Every phase, including any on-site time, is scoped and fixed in a written Statement of Work before any work begins. The work runs remotely by default, with recorded decisions and documents you can review in your own time, so the audit keeps moving between visits. Build work goes on its own Statement of Work.
Start with a conversation
A 30-minute scope call with a principal architect. If we agree there is a fit, we follow with a 90-minute diagnostic session that leaves you with three actionable outcomes.
Questions boards and CEOs ask first
Why not hire a full-time Chief AI Officer?
You may need one eventually. Many companies do not yet. Full-time AI leadership is expensive: Heidrick & Struggles' compensation survey shows large cash packages plus substantial equity and long-term incentives for US AI officers. Source: Heidrick & Struggles, 2025 Data, Analytics and AI Officers Compensation Survey A fractional seat gives you senior ownership now and a clear decision later. If the role should become permanent, we help define it and hand over cleanly.
We already have a CTO or CIO. Why do we need you?
Your CTO or CIO runs the whole technology environment. We work with them, not around them. Most of our recommendations land in their roadmap.
How is this different from an AI agency?
An agency is paid to build, so the answer tends to be "build more." As your CAIO, our job is to decide what is worth building and hold whoever builds it to that standard, your team, an integrator or us. Build work is not part of the CAIO engagement. Any build goes on its own Statement of Work, whether it is done by our Custom Development team or a partner you choose. If we recommend our own team, we say so up front. We take no reseller, referral or partner fees.
Do you work remotely?
Remote-first, board-ready. Your CAIO presents to the board live on video by default, and in person when it matters, with travel set in your Statement of Work. It is a normal way to buy this role: on GoFractional's marketplace, 60% of fractional Chief AI Officer roles are remote, 20% hybrid and 20% on-site, from a small sample. Source: GoFractional, "Fractional Chief AI Officer Cost & Rates", checked Oct 12, 2026
Can you guarantee a specific saving?
No. Anyone who promises a fixed percentage before seeing your workloads is guessing. We apply the published levers that fit and measure against your baseline.
Is sustainability part of this?
As a supporting point, yes. Data-center electricity use grew 17% in 2025 to about 485 TWh. Source: IEA, "Key Questions on Energy and AI", 2026 Fewer tokens on right-sized models usually means lower cost and less energy. We do not claim local AI is automatically greener.
Put one owner in the AI seat
Start with a Baseline. In a few weeks, you will have a prioritized plan and a clear view of your AI spend and risk.