About
Navy nuclear engineer. Carrier pilot. PhD. Six AI practices built from zero. The background earns the right to be blunt.
Dr. Jerry A. Smith
Dr. Jerry A. Smith is an AI executive and engineer who has built AI practices from zero inside six global firms. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and still writes production code. A Navy veteran — nuclear engineer selected by Admiral Kinnaird R. McKee, then carrier-based jet pilot — he brings engineering rigor and operational discipline to every engagement.
VVG operates as a synthetic team — PhD-level principal plus AI agents that produce the output of a 5-person firm. That's structurally why we go from idea to production in 2 weeks. You get the expertise without the overhead.
The Journey
From nuclear reactors to neural networks.
Nuclear Engineer & Carrier Pilot
Selected by Admiral Kinnaird R. McKee for the nuclear program. Then carrier-based jet pilot. Engineering rigor and operational discipline from day one.
PhD in Computer Science
Deep technical foundation. Still writes production code. The PhD-level architecture experience that separates strategy from working systems.
6 AI Practices Built From Zero
Built AI practices inside six global firms, each from zero to $8-9M in revenue. The pattern recognition that comes from doing it six times.
Verity Vantage Group
The complete AI engineering practice. Principal + AI agent fleet producing the output of a 5-person firm at the cost of one.
Why VVG
The structural advantage.
vs. Big 4 / Strategy Consultancies
Strategy decks in 6-9 months at $1.2-2M/year
Working systems in 2 weeks with context from 14 engagements
vs. AI Vendors / Platform Companies
Platform licenses, vendor lock-in, platform tax
Purpose-built systems owned by the client. No recurring fees.
vs. Staff Augmentation
Bodies with ramp time
A principal + AI agent fleet. Zero ramp. Day-one productivity.
vs. In-House CAIO Hire
$400-500K comp + equity + 6-12 month ramp
$55K/month, day-one productivity, no benefits, no equity dilution
Intellectual Property
The 5-3-1 Agentic Architecture
Patent-pending. Five specialized agents with distinct roles and adversarial tension. Three orchestration layers that force reconciliation. One unified output before the human layer.
No single agent failure propagates to output. This is defensible, protectable IP that has been deployed across pharma, aviation, defense, and financial services.
Start with a 15-minute diagnostic conversation.
No pitch. Just an honest assessment of where AI moves your margin fastest.