A Chief AI Officer for your board — {without the full-time hire}.
Alex Goryachev built Cisco's innovation centers across 14 countries and is the WSJ bestselling author of Fearless Innovation, advising Google and Fortune 100 leaders on AI strategy today. As your fractional Chief AI Officer, he takes a named, accountable role on a fixed monthly cadence — setting and governing your AI direction while your team executes.
FREQUENTLY FEATURED IN:
When you need a Chief AI Officer, but not a full-time one
Your board is asking for an AI plan, and there is no single owner accountable for it. Someone needs to be able to answer for the strategy in the room.
Pilots are multiplying across departments with no portfolio logic connecting them — no one is deciding which to scale and which to kill.
You are a year or more away from justifying a full-time Chief AI Officer hire, but the AI decisions cannot wait that long.
You need a credible, named executive in front of your board and regulators now — not a consultant's deck with no one standing behind it afterward.
If you already have a strong internal AI leader, you likely need advisory, not a fractional CAIO.
Explore Strategic AI Advisory instead →What a fractional Chief AI Officer actually does
What Alex owns
- The AI strategy and the roadmap that funds it
- Portfolio calls on which pilots scale and which stop
- AI governance: policies, risk review and named owners
- Regular reporting to your leadership team on progress and risk
- Evaluation of AI vendors and platforms
- Building the internal leaders who will own AI after the engagement
What Alex doesn't do
- Manage engineering teams day to day
- Write code or build models
- Sell or resell any platform, software or courseware
- Replace your CIO, CTO or data leadership
- Run procurement on your behalf
The goal is to make the role unnecessary. Typical arc is 6–12 months to a defined AI operating model and a permanent owner.
Engagement terms
- Three-month minimum, then month to month with 30 days' notice
- A set cadence of working sessions with your leadership team
- Scoped on a call, with availability and a fee range within one business day
The track record behind the role
Operating record
Alex Goryachev spent nearly two decades at Cisco as Managing Director of Innovation Strategy and Head of Global Innovation Centers. He built and ran the Global Innovation Centers in 14 countries and shaped Cisco's $1.1B innovation portfolio.
This is the job Alex did full-time inside Cisco. The fractional model gives you the same function at a fraction of the cost.
Recent advisory engagements
Alex has advised the California State University system on AI readiness and governance, and has advised Dell's GenAI practice and Amgen on AI strategy.
These are advisory engagements, not embedded roles — the same diagnostic and roadmapping work that forms the first 90 days of a fractional CAIO engagement.
Authority markers
WSJ bestselling author of Fearless Innovation. Featured in Inc., Fast Company, and Forbes. 310+ keynotes delivered on 6 continents. 98% of audiences would recommend Alex (582+ verified reviews).
Investment
Fractional CAIO engagements are set by cadence and scope, with a three-month minimum, at a fraction of the commitment of a full-time hire. You get availability and a fee range within one business day.
Fractional CAIO vs. AI consultants vs. a full-time hire
Where fractional CAIO support fits
The model works anywhere a board or leadership team needs accountable AI direction without a full-time hire — most often in these settings:
In Their Own Words
Start the conversation
A 30-minute call with Alex directly — no pitch deck, reply within one business day.
Not ready to talk?
Start with an AI Readiness Assessment instead →Frequently asked questions
What does a fractional Chief AI Officer do?
A fractional Chief AI Officer is a senior executive who takes on AI strategy, governance, and portfolio accountability for an organization on a part-time basis — typically two to four days a month — instead of as a full-time hire. Alex fills this role personally, bringing the same operating experience he built running Cisco's global innovation portfolio, on a fixed monthly cadence with named accountability to your board.
How much does a fractional Chief AI Officer cost?
Fractional CAIO engagements are set by cadence and scope, with a three-month minimum, and you get availability and a fee range within one business day. That is a fraction of the commitment of a full-time Chief AI Officer hire.
Should we hire a fractional CAIO or a full-time Chief AI Officer?
Hire full-time if AI is core to your product, you need daily operational management of an AI team, or headcount is already approved. A fractional CAIO fits when the open question is direction and governance rather than execution volume — setting the strategy and portfolio logic your team then executes.
How is a fractional Chief AI Officer different from an AI consultant?
A fractional CAIO carries standing accountability and board access on an ongoing cadence, not a scoped project deliverable. Alex does this work personally — not a team of analysts — and stays accountable for the direction between engagements, the way an executive does and a consultant does not.
How long does a fractional CAIO engagement last?
Engagements run a minimum of three months, then month-to-month with 30 days' notice. Most last 6–12 months and are explicitly designed to end in a defined AI operating model and a permanent owner — not an indefinite retainer.
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