In large companies, artificial intelligence now has an owner: a Chief AI Officer who sets priorities, chooses tools and answers for results. In an SME, the role exists too, but nobody holds it. The CEO handles it between meetings, an enthusiastic employee takes it on in the evenings, or the company waits.
There is a third way: outsource the head of AI on a fractional basis, as many SMEs already do for finance or IT security.
What a head of AI does
The title sounds grand, the work is concrete. A head of AI does three things.
- Decide where AI pays off. Spot the tasks where information gets lost, put a figure on what they cost, choose the first one to tackle. That is the work of an AI audit, renewed every month.
- Install it. Choose the tools, set up business accounts, build the agents, connect AI to the company's data, train teams on their real files.
- Keep it running. Models change every three months. Someone has to monitor what is in production, adjust, measure the hours given back, set usage rules and report to the CEO.
That third point is the one people forget, and it is what separates a demo from a tool still in use a year later. We covered it in managing a company AI ecosystem.
Hiring: the right choice, but rarely for an SME
An experienced AI profile costs €5,200 to €10,000 per month fully loaded, and hiring usually takes 4 to 6 months. Above all, one person rarely covers everything: strategy, development, security, compliance, training. They go on holiday, they may leave altogether, and the company is left with tools nobody else can maintain.
Hiring makes sense when AI is at the core of the product, or when it equips several hundred people with critical tools. Before that stage, it is usually too early and too expensive.
Three ways to get a head of AI
| In-house hire | One-off consultant | Fractional head of AI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | €5,200 to €10,000 per month fully loaded | Fixed fee or day rate | Monthly subscription |
| Lead time | 4 to 6 months | A few weeks | A few days |
| Delivers | What one person can do | Recommendations | Tools in production, month after month |
| Continuity | Depends on one person | Ends with the report | A team behind the contact person |
The difference with a consultant fits in one sentence: the consultant explains what to do, the head of AI does it with you. See also monthly AI partnership or consultant.
How to choose one
- They do, they don't just advise. Ask which tools they have put into production at comparable companies, and what those tools deliver.
- They come back every month, with a fixed meeting, a written report and indicators tracked over time.
- They have a team behind them: development, security, training. Otherwise you have outsourced a person, not a role.
- You keep control of your data, accounts and tools.
- They commit without locking you in: a cancellable subscription beats an annual fee paid upfront.
What Codito Ergo Sum does
Codito Ergo Sum's Partnership is a fractional head of AI. Every month: two hours with the CEO (four on Premium), split as they wish, a written report with the AI Maturity Score, AI agents built and installed, and direct messaging between meetings. Essential at €499 excl. VAT per month with management, Premium at €799 per month with teams, no commitment. For organisations where AI has become a critical asset, the Enterprise Partnership, from €2,000 per month, takes charge of governance and maintenance of the whole AI ecosystem.
The simplest way to find out whether it is the right format: 30 minutes with the founder. If hiring is the right answer for you, we will say so.
