A fractional AI lead: someone who owns AI in your company, part-time
Your company needs someone who owns AI: decides what to do first, keeps the tools and data rules in order, and makes sure the team actually uses what was set up. A full-time head of AI is too early or too expensive for most small and medium businesses. I take that role part-time, by the hour, for as long as it is useful.
Signs you need one
- Everyone experiments with AI on their own, with no shared tools, rules or results.
- Vendors pitch you AI products, and nobody on your side can judge them.
- One or two automations were set up, and nobody owns them now.
- You know AI matters for the business, but it is always the next quarter's project.
- Your IT keeps the systems running, but AI is not their job.
What the role covers
- An AI plan: which processes to automate, in what order, and how we measure whether it worked.
- Tools and accounts: which AI services the company pays for, on business terms, in the company's name.
- Data rules: what may go into which tool, agreed with your IT and written down.
- Automations and assistants: setting up the next one, and reviewing the ones already running.
- The team: short training for new people, answers to questions, and keeping good habits alive.
- A second opinion on AI vendors and offers before you sign.
What I do
Start with an audit
How AI is used today, which processes eat the most time, what tools and data you have, and where the risks are.
Agree the plan
A short list of priorities for the next months, with the owner of each, and the rules for data.
Work through it, month by month
Setting up, reviewing, training, and a short report on what was done and what is next.
Be on call between sessions
For the questions that come up: a new tool, a vendor's offer, an automation that misbehaves.
Hand over as you grow
When a person inside the company is ready to own AI, I help them take it over. That is a good outcome.
Part-time lead, full-time hire or an agency?
| Part-time AI lead | Full-time head of AI | AI agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Only the hours used | A senior salary, all year | Per project |
| Works for | Small and medium businesses | Companies with a large AI programme | One defined project |
| Owns the plan over time | Yes | Yes | Usually not |
| Independent of vendors | Yes | Yes | Often sells its own solution |
Who you work with
Sergiy Yashchenko
AI consultant · 20+ years in IT · Kyiv
I was deputy director of the AI department at a telecommunications company with 3,000+ employees — the job of owning AI across a large organisation.
As a CEO, I led the AI transformation of my own companies, so I know the owner's side of the decision too.
An example
Related services
Price
$50 per hour — the same rate as everything else I do. The first 30-minute call is free: on it I estimate how many hours your task takes, and you can stop after any hour.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fractional AI lead?
A part-time head of AI: an experienced person who owns your company's AI plan, tools and rules for a share of their time, instead of a full-time hire.
How many hours a month does it take?
It depends on the size of the company and the plan, and it changes over time: more at the start, less once things run. We agree it on the free call, and you can change it any month.
Is there a contract or a minimum?
No long contract. You pay for the hours used, at the same hourly rate as everything else I do.
Do you replace our IT department?
No. I work with your IT. They keep control of systems and security; I bring the AI plan, the setup and the training.
Do you work remotely?
Yes, remotely, or on-site in Kyiv when it helps — for workshops, for example.