In short
The Fractional Manager handles the strategic side: rules, priorities and governance of AI systems. Sometimes they also act as the internal contact. The AI Champion is an internal contact who works alongside them and helps share the use and governance of AI systems across the company. They are not alternatives: the Champion does not replace whoever answers for the decisions.
Key points
- The question is not who is better with AI, but who has the mandate to stop or correct it when it gets things wrong.
- The Fractional Manager handles the strategic side and can sometimes also act as the internal contact.
- The AI Champion is an additional internal contact who works alongside the Fractional Manager.
- The Champion helps share the use and governance of AI systems with the team, as groundwork before the rules.
- Before appointing anyone, write down who can say stop to a use of AI.
It happens in many SMEs: someone is named “AI lead”. Usually it is the most curious person, or the one who has already tried a few tools. They are told to take care of it, with nothing removed from the rest of their job.
It works, until the AI gets it wrong.
The problem: who can say stop?
Say an AI produces a quote with a wrong clause, or an agent takes an action it should not have. The question is not technical. It is: who has the authority to stop that use, correct it and answer to the client?
If the answer is “the lead we appointed”, you need to ask whether they have the mandate to do it. This ties in with the permissions of AI agents: it is not enough for the tool to be safe, someone has to decide what it can do.
Two roles, not one against the other
The title of this article describes a choice between two figures, but in practice they are not alternatives.
The Fractional Manager
The Fractional Manager handles the strategic side: rules of use, priorities, governance of AI systems. They answer for the decisions. Sometimes, and it has already happened to me, they also act as the internal contact, because the company has nobody else who can.
For what a Fractional Manager is not, see The Fractional Manager is not an AI plug-in.
The AI Champion
People weighing up a path often ask for two things: an internal contact, and someone who oversees whoever builds the system. These are the two roles in this article.
The Champion is an additional internal contact, who joins the Fractional Manager. In most cases, in the way I work, they are also the bridge into the company: they know the people and the processes.
They must also protect the team’s time. People already under pressure struggle to make room for the project, and the Champion is the one who makes it possible.
Their job is to support the Fractional Manager in the groundwork: getting the use and governance of AI systems across to the team before the actual rules are set.
How the work is split
- The Fractional Manager decides: rules, permissions, priorities, and answers when the AI gets it wrong.
- The Champion brings it inside: shares use and governance with the team as groundwork, collects problems and doubts, and reports them to the Fractional Manager.
Before appointing anyone
Write down on one page the answers to four questions:
- Who can say stop to a use of AI?
- Who answers to the client if an output is wrong?
- Who decides which data can enter the tools?
- Who is the internal Champion, and with what mandate?
If an answer is missing, the lead is appointed but does not govern. For the full picture on setting up the system, see How to govern AI in an Italian SME.
If you want to understand where your company loses value today, including for lack of someone who decides, start with Find where you lose value. For more in-depth reading, there is the blog.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI Champion?
An AI Champion is a person inside the company who becomes the go-to contact for AI use and works alongside the Fractional Manager. They help share the use and governance of AI systems with the team. They do not have to be a technician.
Is an AI Champion enough in an SME?
On their own, often not, unless they have a written mandate to set rules and permissions. They can be an excellent starting point, but someone still has to answer for decisions about AI.
How do a Fractional Manager and an AI Champion work together?
The Fractional Manager holds the strategic side and answers for the decisions, and sometimes also acts as the internal contact. The Champion works alongside them and brings into daily work the groundwork of sharing how AI systems are used and governed.