A fractional Chief AI Officer for the board cycle ahead.
Some companies need senior AI leadership before they need a full-time Chief AI Officer. SmartCurrent provides it as a retained seat. Judah Phillips works with the CEO, the executive team, and the board on a standing cadence, and the company's own team executes.
Senior AI leadership before the full-time hire.
A Chief AI Officer settles where AI matters in the business, what to fund, what to delay, and what to refuse. Many companies need that judgment now and are not ready to hire for it. The scope of the role is often still unsettled.
A fractional Chief AI Officer fills the seat part-time. The work is the same in kind: direction, governance, and the small set of decisions that compound.
Direction, governance, and technology choices.
- AI strategy and roadmap. A single, defensible view of where AI matters, shared by the CEO and the executive team.
- Governance and board reporting. Oversight posture, risk, and the questions directors will ask.
- Technology evaluation and selection. Build, buy, or partner, under real constraints.
- Operating model. How teams organize around AI.
- Enablement. AI training tied to the decisions and workflows the team owns.
Joint with the executive team, never around it.
The seat works alongside the people who own the AI plan. Engagements are joint with the executive team where possible, and never conducted around them.
It runs as a quarterly retainer or a multi-month embed. It is time-bound by design, not a program built to expand into the organization. For a single question with a defined answer, see AI consulting for CEOs and boards.
An operator, not a research analyst.
Judah Phillips holds the role himself. He is Chief AI and Product Officer of Market Holdings and General Manager of Squark AI, the company he co-founded and sold to Market Holdings in 2024. His work spans enterprise AI strategy and execution, applied AI companies, board and investor advisory, and AI training.
He also founded the Boston Generative AI Meetup and Boston AI Week, America's largest AI festival, where he chairs the board. Both keep the work close to what operators are doing with AI now. That network can be used selectively where it strengthens the work.
- A staffing arrangement. No team is placed alongside the seat.
- Implementation or managed services.
- A program designed to expand into the organization.
- Vendor-aligned advice tied to a specific platform or stack.
What does a fractional Chief AI Officer do?
Sets AI direction with the CEO, keeps the board informed, and gives an independent view on what the team builds, buys, and funds. The seat covers strategy, governance, technology choices, operating model, and enablement. The company's own team executes.
When does a fractional Chief AI Officer make sense?
When AI decisions have reached the CEO and the board, and the company is not ready to hire a full-time Chief AI Officer. Common triggers are a new AI item on the board agenda, a major build-versus-buy decision, or an owner or investor asking for the AI plan.
How is a fractional Chief AI Officer different from an AI consultant?
An AI consultant takes a defined question and returns an answer. A fractional Chief AI Officer holds a standing seat with the CEO and the executive team across many decisions. SmartCurrent does both, and the first conversation settles which one fits.
How much time does a fractional Chief AI Officer spend with the company?
The cadence is set in the first conversation and sized to the decisions ahead. Engagements run as a quarterly retainer or a multi-month embed.
Does a fractional Chief AI Officer replace our CTO or head of AI?
No. The seat works with the people who own the AI plan and is joint with the executive team. It adds a senior outside view. It does not take over delivery.
How do we start?
With a short private request. Each request is reviewed personally. If there is alignment, a private conversation follows, and scope is agreed in writing under mutual confidentiality.
Reviewed personally · Reply within 5 business days.