Editorial standards

Contents

1. Sourced and dated
2. Labelled figures
3. Even-handed profiles
4. Independence from providers
5. AI assistance
6. Fixing mistakes

Sourced and dated

A claim about a provider, a fee or a market figure appears only with a link to the page it came from and the day we read that page. Anything we could not confirm is either omitted or marked as unpublished.

Labelled figures

Much of the data on AI leadership pay comes from recruiters and search firms, which earn fees from placements. We name the source and its type next to every such figure, and we keep them apart from official statistics.

Even-handed profiles

Every provider gets the same structure and the same plain language: what it offers, where it is strong, where it is weak and which buyers should go elsewhere.

Independence from providers

Providers cannot buy a place in the guide, a better rank or a kinder description, and none of our links earn commission.

AI assistance

Research and first drafts are partly done with AI tools. An editor then checks each factual statement against its cited source before the page goes live.

Fixing mistakes

Send errors or outdated facts through the contact page. Once a correction is confirmed, we change the page, move its updated date and add a line to its change log.

Further reading

• Guide · First 90 daysThe first 90 days of a fractional chief AI officerThe first three months decide whether a fractional AI leader changes how the company works or produces a document nobody opens. Here is what each month should deliver, and how to check.
• Guide · CostWhat a fractional chief AI officer costs, compared with a full-time hireNone of the providers we reviewed publishes a fee for the leadership role. These are the best sourced benchmarks available, a worked comparison with a full-time hire and the costs that sit outside the retainer.
• Guide · The roleWhat a fractional chief AI officer does, and what the role is notA fractional CAIO is a part-time executive, not a project. Here is what the job covers, drawn from how providers and US federal guidance define it, and how to tell whether your company needs one.