Field Notes

The Chief Of Life blog.

Field notes on running a Fractional Chief AI Officer practice: what works, what fails, and what mid-market companies should actually do about AI.

Pillar 10 min read

What is a Fractional Chief AI Officer (and when do you actually need one)?

A complete guide to the Fractional CAIO role: what it is, what it isn't, when a mid-market company should hire one, and how the engagement compares to a full-time hire or a big-firm consultancy.

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field notes this week
Three things we keep seeing.
Pilots die at the eval stage, not at the build. Budget for the part everyone skips.
The cheapest model that passes your evals usually wins. Flashy loses to boring more often than not.
Lock-in lives in the contract, not the demo. Read clause 9 before you sign.
from the practice, not a press release
Comparison 7 min read

Fractional vs. full-time CAIO: which one does your company actually need?

A clear, opinionated decision framework. We go through the four signals that say "hire full-time", the five signals that say "fractional is enough", and the one situation where you genuinely need neither.

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Pricing guide 8 min read

How much does a Fractional Chief AI Officer cost in 2026?

Real numbers. The market range, what drives the spread, what's typically included, what's not, and the three pricing models you should expect from any credible CAIO practice.

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Talk to a Fractional CAIO.

30 minutes. No pitch deck. We'll tell you whether you actually need one of these engagements.

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Not sure where you are?

Three ways in, depending on what you already know.

Most companies we talk to are somewhere in these three. Start wherever you actually are — the first one is free and takes three minutes.