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Solutions · Fractional AI Officer
AI consultant on retainer · Fractional AI Officer · senior AI leadership

An AI consultant on retainer — Fractional AI Officer for the build-vs-buy, vendor, and architecture decisions you would otherwise hire a $250k Head of AI to make

Most operators do not need a full-time AI hire — they need senior AI leadership in the room when the decisions get made. Build vs buy. Vendor selection. Hire vs automate. Architecture sequencing. We run that on a monthly retainer at three engagement depths — Advisor, Embedded, Fractional CAIO — at 60–75% of the cost of bringing it in-house.

From $3k/mo
Advisor tier · 4 hrs/mo
$78k/yr
Embedded vs $250k full-time hire
Month-to-month
cancel any time
advisory.dgcore — Q3 architecture review
LIVE
▸ Vendor-neutral · 100+ engagement signal
◆Stack inventory · 22 toolsreview
⚖Vendor evaluation · Salesforce vs HubSpot vs GHLcompare
⚖Build vs hire · Head of Ops decisioncompare
✓Phase 3 roadmap · approveddecided
Quarterly review
Live now
Decisions modeled
4
Certified on the platforms you already use80+ builds shipped
GoHighLevel
HubSpot
n8n
Make.com
Zapier
Klaviyo
Airtable
▸ Our verdict on Fractional AI Officer

A Fractional AI Officer is the right engagement when AI decisions are recurring and high-stakes — vendor switches, architecture choices, hire-vs-build calls — and a full-time hire is overkill. Below $250k ARR, the free self-serve audit + Done Right is usually right-sized. Above $5M ARR with daily AI ops needs, we move into fractional CAIO with weekly leadership presence.

What we deliver

What our Fractional AI Officer engagements cover

Standard scope. Custom scope available on the audit.

◆

Architecture & roadmap

Strategic technology decisions across CRM, automation, AI agents, data, and reporting. Written architecture review at the cadence your tier specifies — monthly at Advisor, bi-weekly at Embedded, weekly at Fractional CAIO.

⌬

Vendor evaluation

Structured vendor evaluation with TCO modeling, capability fit, switching cost analysis. Recommendations are vendor-neutral — we refuse referral fees from any platform.

✦

Hire-vs-build framework

When to hire a specialist, when to automate, when to outsource. Specific to your operating model and AI maturity, not generic startup advice.

⌘

AI ops oversight

AI agent monitoring, eval cadence, prompt versioning, hallucination guardrails. The boring infrastructure most "AI strategy" decks skip.

Engagement model

From audit to live Fractional AI Officer retainer build in 4 steps

Same engagement shape as every digicore101 build. Predictable timeline, predictable cost, no scope creep.

017 days

AI Audit

60-min strategy session, stack map, leak analysis, costed roadmap. Vendor-neutral — yours to keep.

  • ·Architecture diagram
  • ·Build sequence
  • ·Cost + timeline lock
025–10 days

Architecture

Fractional AI Officer retainer schema, automations on paper, integration map, AI agent personas.

  • ·Approved schema
  • ·Sign-off on flows
  • ·Migration plan if applicable
032–6 weeks

Build & Deploy

Weekly demos, staged rollout, full handoff documentation. You own everything.

  • ·Live system
  • ·Loom walkthroughs
  • ·Team training session
04Ongoing

Train & Support

Retainer keeps the Fractional AI Officer retainer stack tuned, monitored, and improving — not just running.

  • ·Slack channel
  • ·Weekly tune cycle
  • ·Monthly reporting
The math

Full-time Head of AI vs Fractional AI Officer · annual cost

A full-time Head of AI runs $250–400k all-in including benefits and equity. For most operators between $1M and $10M ARR, the decision-cadence does not justify a full-time hire — but the decisions still need senior judgment.

✓Full-time Head of AI: $250–400k/yr + equity + 3–6 mo to hire and ramp
✓Fractional Embedded ($6,500/mo): $78k/yr · senior on day one · no equity
✓Month-to-month · right-size up or down as your AI maturity changes
✓Vendor-neutral by structure — we refuse referral fees from platforms
Annual cost · Head of AI vs Fractional AI Officer
Full-time Head of AI$310k
All-in · base + bonus + equity + benefits
Fractional Embedded$78k
$6,500/mo · 12 hrs/mo · senior on day one
Fractional Advisor$36k
$3,000/mo · 4 hrs/mo · monthly cadence
The math
60–88% cost reduction
with senior decision authority intact
Default vs Fractional AI Officer

How a default approach compares to our Fractional AI Officer

Honest comparison. We will tell you when the simpler answer is right.

CapabilityFull-time Head of AI hireFractional AI Officer
Annual cost$250–400k + benefits + equity$36k–$144k/yr · no equity · no benefits
Time to onboard3–6 months hiring + ramp1–2 weeks · senior on day one
Vendor neutralityComes with platform biasesVendor-neutral · paid by you only
Cancel / right-sizeSeverance, equity unwindMonth-to-month · adjust tier any time
Experience anchorOne stack, one company100+ engagements across stacks
Best forAI is the core differentiatorAI is leverage, not the product
Recent advisory work

How real operators used this

Names anonymized where requested.

Vendor

Agency · saved $80k by avoiding a bad CRM choice

About to commit to an $80k Salesforce build. Advisor tier modeled Salesforce vs HubSpot vs GHL. Picked GHL. Saved $80k in license + implementation.

Vendor decision$80k savedAdvisor tier
Hire vs build

Coach · hire-vs-build · skipped a $120k hire

About to hire a $120k Head of Ops. Embedded tier modeled hire vs build. Built the AI ops layer instead. Net savings $90k/yr after retainer.

Hire vs build$90k/yr savedNo hire
Architecture

B2B SaaS · roadmap reset in week 6

Embedded tier review revealed the planned platform migration was wrong. Reset roadmap to phased path. Saved 6 months of build time + ~$60k in scope.

Roadmap reset6 mo savedEmbedded tier
CAIO

Service biz · graduated to Fractional CAIO

Embedded client at $6,500/mo grew past $5M ARR. Moved to Fractional CAIO at $12k/mo with weekly leadership presence. Owns architecture authority.

Fractional CAIO$12k/moWeekly presence
When this fits

Honest scope — and who shouldn't engage

A Fractional AI Officer is right when AI architecture decisions are recurring and senior judgment matters.

✓ Engage when
  • $1M–$10M ARR with active AI decisions
    Decision cadence justifies senior advisory; revenue does not yet justify a full-time hire.
  • Mid-build, mid-migration, or rebuild
    Embedded tier carries decisions across the build window. Pays back inside the first phase.
  • You want vendor-neutral guidance
    We refuse referral fees by design. Comparison work is honest because we are paid only by you.
✗ Don't engage when
  • Below $250k ARR
    The free self-serve audit + Done Right ($1,997 + $197/mo) is right-sized for this stage.
  • AI is your core product
    You need a full-time Head of AI with deep product context. Fractional is wrong shape.
  • You only want validation, not advice
    We will tell you when you are wrong. Be ready for that.
AI consultant — buyer's guide

What does an AI consultant do? A practical guide for operators

An AI consultant helps organizations identify where AI can create real business value, then advises on vendor selection, build sequencing, architecture, and organizational change.

6 sections · long readRead the full guide→
Pricing

Fractional AI Officer engagement tiers

Scoped lock — fixed deliverable, fixed price. Audit credit applies to any tier.

Advisor
$3,000/mo

Monthly strategy call + 4 hrs/mo ad-hoc + Slack channel. For operators who face decisions quarterly, not weekly.

  • ✓Monthly 60-min strategy session
  • ✓4 hrs/mo ad-hoc work
  • ✓Slack channel · async
  • ✓Vendor evaluation included
  • ✓Month-to-month
Book Advisor→
Most popular
Embedded
$6,500/mo

Bi-weekly working sessions + 12 hrs/mo + active architecture partnership. For operators in build or migration mode.

  • ✓Bi-weekly working sessions
  • ✓12 hrs/mo ad-hoc work
  • ✓Architecture review every 2 weeks
  • ✓Vendor + hire decisions in-flight
  • ✓Slack · same-day response
Book Embedded→
Fractional CAIO
$12,000+/mo

Weekly leadership presence + 25 hrs/mo + architecture authority. For operators above $5M ARR who would otherwise hire a Head of AI.

  • ✓Weekly leadership presence
  • ✓25 hrs/mo dedicated time
  • ✓Architecture authority
  • ✓Hiring + interview support
  • ✓Exec team integration
Discuss CAIO→
Or book hourly: $150/hr in 10-hour packs · Quick fixes, audits, expert hours.
FAQ

Questions before we start

How is a Fractional AI Officer different from a regular AI consultant?+
Consultants do a one-time scoped engagement. A Fractional AI Officer carries decisions over time — your stack evolves, vendors change, AI tooling drifts. The retainer model exists because AI architecture decisions compound: a wrong vendor choice in Q1 can lock in 18 months of switching cost. Same person across the year gives compounding context.
How does this compare to hiring a full-time Head of AI?+
A full-time Head of AI in North America runs $250–400k all-in including equity. Our Fractional AI Officer Embedded tier is $6,500/mo ($78k/yr) — about 25% of the all-in cost — for senior strategy at the cadence most $1–10M revenue operators actually need. The trade is depth-of-time. Above $5M ARR with daily AI ops, the math flips toward in-house.
Which tier should I start at?+
Advisor ($3,000/mo) if you face one or two architecture decisions per quarter and need a senior gut-check. Embedded ($6,500/mo) if you are actively rebuilding or migrating and want a partner in the architecture work. Fractional CAIO ($12,000+/mo) if you need someone with architecture authority embedded with your exec team. Most operators start at Advisor and move to Embedded during a build window.
Are you vendor-neutral?+
Yes — that is the structural design. We are paid only by you. We refuse vendor referral fees. Recommendations are anchored on what is right for you, not what pays us. We will recommend a Salesforce partner over our own GHL build when that is the right call — and have done it.
What about confidential information?+
NDA in place from kickoff. We see your architecture, financials, vendor contracts, and roadmap. That is the entire point of senior advisory; we cannot help if we cannot see.
Can I cancel?+
Yes — month-to-month. We earn the renewal monthly. Annual prepay gets a 10% discount but is not required. Most engagements run 6–18 months.
What does it cost?+
Advisor $3,000/mo (monthly strategy call + 4 hrs/mo ad-hoc + Slack). Embedded $6,500/mo (bi-weekly working session + 12 hrs/mo + vendor evaluation). Fractional CAIO $12,000+/mo (weekly leadership presence + 25 hrs/mo + architecture authority).
Keep exploring

Where Fractional AI Officer fits in the bigger picture

Most engagements layer 2–3 platforms with a service shape. These pages map the surrounding territory.

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