# Answers to the questions companies actually ask

> Justas Butkus is a fractional AI officer based in Vilnius, Lithuania, founder of AINORA, MB – the company behind the Ainora and Impetora brands – and a graduate of Vilnius University.

Justas Butkus is a fractional AI officer based in Vilnius, Lithuania, working with mid-market companies and scale-ups across the UK, EU and US at two to four days a month. He builds and operates the production AI systems he advises on, and takes no commission, referral fee or revenue share from any vendor.

**Written answers to the decisions that arrive with pressure attached. No gate, no email required, no sales call. If an answer tells you that you do not need help, that is the answer.**

Canonical: https://justasbutkus.com/answers/
Last updated: 2026-08-02

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## What is answered here?

- **Our AI pilot failed. What now?** – The seven-question post-mortem, what to tell the board, and how to decide whether to try again or stop. (/answers/our-ai-pilot-failed/)
- **Is this AI vendor legitimate?** – Ten questions in order, red flags against green flags, and the test buyers themselves say works. (/answers/is-this-ai-vendor-legitimate/)
- **What to do before hiring an AI team** – Six things to establish before any headcount, and what to hire once you have them. (/answers/before-hiring-an-ai-team/)
- **How to write an AI policy** – Six questions, two pages, and how it relates to what the AI Act actually requires. (/answers/ai-policy-for-your-company/)
- **Does a mid-size company need a Chief AI Officer?** – The five-question test, and the three triggers that mean the answer is yes. (/answers/does-a-mid-size-company-need-a-chief-ai-officer/)
- **Best AI consultants for mid-size companies** – Why a ranked list cannot be verified, and the five criteria to apply yourself. (/answers/best-ai-consultants-for-mid-size-companies/)

## Why these are free and ungated

Because a page that will not answer the question until you give it an email address is not an answer, it is a lead form wearing one. If the writing is useful you will remember where it came from.

Several of these end by telling you that you probably do not need to hire anyone. That is deliberate. The most common expensive mistake in this market is buying help for a problem that was never costed.

## Frequently asked questions

### Are these answers free?

Yes, and ungated. No email required, no sales call, no gated download.

### Who writes them?

Justas Butkus, a fractional AI officer based in Vilnius who builds and operates production AI systems and takes no commission or revenue share from any vendor.

## Related

- [How to choose an advisor](/how-to-choose/) – Including the questions that are awkward to be asked.
- [What an AI expert does](/ai-expert/) – Five different jobs under one label.

## About the author

**Justas Butkus** – a fractional AI officer based in Vilnius, Lithuania, founder of AINORA, MB – the company behind the Ainora and Impetora brands – and a graduate of Vilnius University.

## If your question is not answered here

Send it. If it is a common one it will probably become a page, and you will get the answer either way.

Contact: justas@ainora.lt · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/justas-butkus/)