An AI readiness checklist helps you answer one question before spending money: is this business ready to get value from AI, and if not, what's missing? Use the questions below with your leadership team. A "no" isn't a failure — it tells you what to fix first.
Leadership and ownership
- Has leadership agreed on one or two business problems AI should help with?
- Is there a named owner for AI decisions?
- Is there a budget, even a small one, for a pilot?
- Do you know what result would count as success?
Data
- Is client and operations information for your chosen workflow in one system?
- Is that information reasonably current and accurate?
- Do you know which data is confidential and must not be pasted into public tools?
Process
- Is the workflow you want to improve written down?
- Does the team follow it consistently?
- Do you know how long it takes today?
People
- Have a few staff used AI tools in real work, not just experiments?
- Is someone willing to champion the pilot?
- Will staff get time to learn, not just a login?
Risk and rules
- Do you have a written AI usage policy?
- Is there human review before anything goes to a client?
- Do you know which vendors store or train on your data?
Budget and tools
- Have you checked what your existing software already includes?
- Can you run a pilot without a long contract?
- Do you know who will maintain the system after launch?
- Have you decided when you'll review results?
How to read your answers
Mostly yes: pick a pilot and start. Mixed: fix data and process for one workflow first. Mostly no: start with ownership and a usage policy — tools come later.
For a scored version of this checklist, take the free AI Readiness Scorecard. Prefer paper? Download the printable AI adoption checklist. For a deeper explanation of each area, read our AI readiness assessment guide.