Applied AI in Residence

A category I made up because nothing else fit.

It's not consulting. It's not training. It's not a fractional role.

The simplest way I can describe it: I work with leaders first, then their teams, then stay involved as they take it from there. Less about doing the work for them. More about putting AI's hands in theirs... I guide the team through the scary part, then hand it off, so the agency is what they keep.

How it unfolds

Start with the leaders
I begin by sitting with the leaders to understand the team, the challenges, and the culture. What's actually slowing the org down. What people are protective of. What no one's said out loud yet. The diagnostic work that shapes everything that comes next.
Then the broader org
From there I work with the broader org through activation sessions and workshops. Sitting alongside people in their real workflows. Building things with them, not lecturing at them. The goal is for the team to feel what's possible, not just hear about it.
Then through the transition
Then I stay involved over weeks or months. Supporting everyone as AI becomes part of how the org actually thinks and works. New questions surface, new projects emerge, the culture shifts a bit. I'm there for that, not just the kickoff.

How it's different

Who it's for

Impact-focused organizations whose culture is ready to be a little more experimental, lean into the future of work, and think bigger about the impact they can make. The leader knows AI matters. The team is curious. There's enough trust in the room that we can try something real together and let it shape how the org works.

Who I am

Colton Hess

I'm Colton. I just finished my MBA at Berkeley Haas and am now finishing my MPH at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. I was in the inaugural cohort of Berkeley's AI for Business certificate, one of the first AI-focused MBA programs in the country. I have experience as a founder myself, and a deep respect for what it takes to lead an organization in a rapidly changing world.

More on the about page →  ·  LinkedIn →

Questions people ask

What is Applied AI in Residence?
Applied AI in Residence is a category I made up because nothing else fit. It changes how a team actually works with AI... I work with the leaders first, then the broader team, then stay involved as they take it from there. A team comes out with real tools they built together in Claude Code, and a team that keeps building. It's less about doing the work for an org and more about giving the team the agency to build for themselves. Not consulting, not training, not a fractional role... a peer you borrow while AI becomes part of how the org actually works.
How is Applied AI in Residence different from AI consulting or a fractional Chief AI Officer?
Applied AI in Residence is different because nothing gets handed off and no seat gets filled. AI consulting delivers decks; Applied AI in Residence changes how your team works with AI, and you come out with real tools you built together in Claude Code. A fractional Chief AI Officer fills an interim executive seat; Applied AI in Residence is the lighter alternative, a peer you borrow, not a line on your org chart. I sit alongside the leaders and the org through the transition, then step back... the catalyst, not the dependency.
Do AI courses or executive AI programs actually work, or is hands-on better?
The most important thing in this work isn't the tool, it's the human sitting next to you... the empathy, the encouragement, the belief that you can do this. These AI tools can make us feel less human, more replaceable. This is the opposite. It's about using AI in a deeply human way, a way that brings out the best in you, the most human parts of you, and frees your time and energy for what makes you feel most alive. And on the mechanics: watching videos about AI is not the same as learning AI. You learn by building and breaking things, with your own work, in the room. That's the gap Applied AI in Residence is built to close... we build real tools together in Claude Code in the session itself, because the activation energy comes from doing the work, not from a keynote about it.
Who is Applied AI in Residence for?
Applied AI in Residence is for impact-focused organizations whose culture is ready to be a little more experimental and think bigger about the impact they can make. The fit is an org where the leader already knows AI matters, the team is curious, and there's enough trust in the room to try something real together. Applied AI in Residence works best when a team wants the activation energy to leapfrog from feeling behind or overwhelmed to feeling empowered and ahead, together.

Want in?

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