Find your
Chief AI Officer.

Everyone talks about AI. Few companies actually know how to run it.
We help you move from experimentation to execution.

Let's talk about your needs →
CAIOHead of AILead AIAI DirectorChief Artificial Intelligence OfficerVP of AIFractional CAIO

Where our CTOs have worked

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Context

Why this role is becoming critical

01

Your AI projects start and stall

No AI lead sees things through: POCs pile up, nothing reaches production, and ROI stays unproven.

02

Your competitors are speeding up on AI, you're watching from the sidelines

LLM integration, workflow automation, business copilots: competitors are moving fast. You're missing an expert to shift up a gear.

03

You don't know what profile to hire or what it costs

What scope should the person cover, what seniority, how do you assess candidates, what salary should you offer... Hard to make sense of it all.

04

Your tech teams lack strategic direction on AI

Your devs and data scientists have the tools, not the business vision. You're missing someone to bridge AI strategy and execution.

The types of AI integration

The profile you need changes depending on where you bring AI into the company. We adapt to each of these three cases.

01

AI in the product

You want to inject AI into your product to create a new edge: an AI feature, an embedded copilot, using your data, a new use case that changes your value proposition.

Profile required: Product-oriented. Able to turn an AI use case into a shipped, measurable feature.

02

AI in the tech and product teams

You want to embed AI in your tech and product team processes: agent fleets, orchestration, code copilots, delivery automation, spec writing...

Profile required: Engineering, hands-on. Can architect and productionize agent systems at scale.

03

AI across the whole company

You want to spread AI across every department to automate tasks: support, marketing, finance, HR, operations.

Profile required: Cross-functional. Comfortable with both business and tech, able to bring non-technical teams on board.

Our offers

3 ways we can help

Every company is at a different stage. We adapt.

Short mission · 2 to 4 weeks

AI Audit

We dive into your organization and systems to map your AI maturity, identify high-ROI quick wins, and prioritize what to tackle. You walk away with an actionable roadmap.

Who it's for: For CEOs who want to frame their AI strategy before investing.

Learn more →

Fractional · 1 to 3 days/week

Lead AI / Fractional CAIO

A senior expert embedded part-time in your team. They drive your AI strategy, lead your data/ML teams, arbitrate technical choices, and liaise with the board.

Who it's for: For startups and scale-ups that need a senior Chief AI Officer, now.

Learn more →

Permanent hire

CAIO / Head of AI Recruitment

You're at the stage where the role needs to be brought in-house. We help you define the profile, source from our network of 600+ experts, qualify candidates, and support you through onboarding.

Who it's for: For companies ready to hire their Chief AI Officer or Head of AI internally.

Learn more →

The role in detail

The Chief AI Officer's responsibilities

Define the company's AI strategy and roadmap

Identify and prioritize high-ROI use cases

Choose the models, tools, and technology partners

Lead the data, ML, and AI teams

Integrate AI into existing products and processes

Manage AI risks: bias, GDPR compliance, security

Create synergies between AI, product, tech, and business

Source and recruit data science / AI engineering profiles

Raise awareness and train leadership teams on AI

Track market developments (LLMs, multimodal, agents…)

Define success KPIs for AI initiatives

Represent AI at the board level and with investors

250+

Missions completed

600+

CTOs & AI leaders in the collective

5 years

Of collective experience

98%

Client satisfaction

Get in touch

Let's talk about your needs

Audit, fractional, or hiring: tell us where you're at, and we'll suggest the right approach within 24h.

Questions fréquentes

FAQ

A Chief AI Officer (CAIO), also known as Head of AI, AI Director, or Lead AI, is the executive responsible for an organization's artificial intelligence strategy. They define the AI vision, identify priority use cases, lead the data and ML teams, manage risks (bias, compliance, security), and make sure AI initiatives create measurable value. They're the link between business strategy and AI technical execution.

These are broadly the same responsibilities under different titles. CAIO (Chief AI Officer) and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer are the C-level titles, used at larger companies. Head of AI is the most common title at startups and scale-ups. Lead AI often refers to a more operational profile, closer to the technical teams. At CO-CTO, we cover all of these profiles.

The CTO (Chief Technology Officer) owns the entire technical strategy: architecture, engineering, infrastructure, tech product. The Chief AI Officer focuses specifically on artificial intelligence and data: AI use cases, MLOps, model governance, training teams on AI. In smaller organizations, the CTO can cover both roles. In organizations more mature on AI, the two roles coexist and complement each other.

When AI becomes a strategic priority rather than a side project, typically once you have several AI initiatives underway, a data/ML team to lead, or strong competitive pressure on the topic. For early-stage startups, a part-time CAIO is often the right first step: you get senior expertise without the cost of a permanent hire, and you can bring the role in-house once it's justified.

Yes, it's actually the solution most adopted by startups and SMEs. A part-time CAIO works 1 to 3 days a week within your team, bringing the strategic and operational expertise of a senior profile without the cost of a permanent hire. This is the solution CO-CTO offers through its Lead AI / Fractional CAIO missions.

A Chief AI Officer's salary in France typically ranges from €60,000 to €120,000 in annual package, depending on experience, company size, and location. The most sought-after profiles, with expertise in LLMs, advanced MLOps, and a track record of production AI projects, negotiate at the higher end. In fractional mode, day rates typically range from €800 to €1,500 for profiles at this level.

CO-CTO works across three areas: AI Audit (framing your maturity and identifying priorities within 2 to 4 weeks), Lead AI / Fractional CAIO (a senior expert embedded part-time in your team), and CAIO / Head of AI Recruitment (helping you hire the right profile in-house). We draw on a network of 600+ experienced CTOs and AI leaders from France's best tech companies.