What an AI CMO is, and what Firefly offers
The name AI CMO is used today for software that produces marketing work, and for a marketing leader who uses AI tools.
Firefly offers the second of these, and it does not sell AI CMO software. Saad Afsar is a fractional CMO who uses AI tools across the marketing channels and answers to you for the result.
The table shows which marketing decisions stay with a person in a Firefly engagement, and which tasks AI tools carry out under direction.
Decisions that stay with a person, and tasks that AI tools carry out
| Area | Stays with a person | Carried out by AI tools, under direction |
|---|---|---|
| Content | Saad decides what the business says and to whom. | AI tools draft content in the voice of the brand. |
| Design | Saad sets the brief that the design work has to meet. | AI tools help your staff produce the design work. |
| Saad decides what part email plays in the plan. | AI tools help group the customer list, write the emails and build the automatic sequences. | |
| Reports | Saad judges the results against revenue and decides what changes. | AI tools help prepare the reports from the figures in your own systems. |
What the name AI CMO is used for today
On 7 October 2026 we searched Google in the United States for “AI CMO” twice. The two first pages showed the following.
- Software sold under the name
- Each first page listed two software products that call themselves an AI CMO or a marketing AI agent. We read two of those product pages, and both are software that the customer sets up and operates. One product monitors six social platforms for mentions of a brand and its competitors, and generates posts for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. The other is a set of AI agents that prepare marketing work and move approved work forward. Its page states that priorities, brand, budget and approvals stay with the customer.
- Articles and videos
- The other results on both pages were articles and videos about AI and the work of a CMO. Neither first page listed a service page from a person or a firm that offers to lead a company’s marketing.
- A marketing leader who uses AI toolsWhat Firefly offers
- Saad Afsar leads the marketing for about five hours a week. He uses AI tools in the work and answers to you for the result.
Firefly also sets up AI workflows and trains a client’s staff to run them. Our page on AI systems and implementation describes that work.
We read these two product pages on 7 October 2026.
- AI CMO - Your Personal AI Chief Marketing Officer AI CMO (tryaicmo.com) · no date printed, read 7 October 2026
- Chief Marketing AI-Agent for GTM Luminary Lane (Lumi5 Labs Pte. Ltd.) · no date printed, read 7 October 2026
Software, or a person who uses AI tools
An owner who wants software to operate inside the business should look at the products sold under the name. Firefly does not sell them.
Firefly’s engagement is for the owner who wants a person to decide the plan and the budget and to bring AI tools into the daily work.
The business needs a marketing budget and staff or agencies who carry out the work. Your staff run the AI tools, and Saad directs how the tools are used.
The terms of the engagement
An engagement with Saad has the same terms whatever name the owner uses for it.
The fractional CMO at Firefly is Saad Afsar. He has 15 years of marketing experience, has led marketing for 40+ brands, and has enterprise experience at Unilever and Samsung.
Firefly works with owner-led businesses in Toronto and New York: hospitality groups, professional firms and independent brands.
Our page on what a fractional CMO costs compares these terms with published market rates.
- Rate
- $100 an hour
- Standard engagement
- $2,000 a month
- Time
- About five hours a week
- Minimum term
- Three months
Results from fractional CMO engagements
Each result is measured in the client’s own system, over the period shown.
- Two Boots New York pizza, since 1987 +12% same-store net salesyear over year · Toast POS
- YYZ Law Aviation and travel law, Toronto 4.3× organic search clicksover three years · Google Search Console
- Boqueria Spanish tapas, multi-city US +73% private-events revenueyear over year · Tripleseat
- Paperchase Accounting and CFO advisory, NYC and London +69% website visitsyear over year · Google Analytics
Questions and answers
What is an AI CMO?
Some software products call themselves an AI CMO. The name is also used for a marketing leader who uses AI tools, and that is what Firefly offers.
Does Firefly sell AI CMO software?
No. Firefly offers a person. Saad Afsar leads the marketing as a fractional CMO, uses AI tools in the work and answers to you for the result.
Which marketing decisions stay with a person?
Saad decides the plan, the budget, and what the business says and to whom. He judges the results against revenue and answers to you for them.
Which tasks do AI tools carry out?
AI tools draft content, help produce design work, help with email and help prepare reports. Your staff run the tools, and Saad directs how they are used.
Does AI replace our marketing staff or our agencies?
Firefly does not make that claim. In a Firefly engagement your staff and your agencies carry out the daily work, and they use AI tools in it.
Is this the same as an AI visibility audit?
No. An AI visibility audit checks what assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity say about a business when a buyer asks. This page is about who leads the marketing.
What does the engagement cost?
A standard engagement costs $2,000 a month for about five hours a week of Saad’s time, which is $100 an hour. The minimum term is three months.
Book a call, or write first
You can book a discovery call on Saad Afsar’s calendar.
If you prefer to write first, send a few details in the form and Saad will reply within 24 hours.