AI readiness checklist: 10 questions to answer before you invest in AI

AI works best on clear processes, clean data and a team that’s ready to use it. Before you spend money, answer these ten questions honestly.

Strategy

Have you named the specific problems AI should help with? “We need AI” isn’t a problem. “We take six hours to reply to new enquiries” is.
Is one person responsible for AI and automation projects? Without an owner, pilots stall.

Processes

Are your core processes written down? If not, AI will copy the inconsistency.
Do you know which repetitive tasks take the most time? These are usually your best first projects.

Data

Is your customer and sales data in one system? Ten spreadsheets and someone’s memory is a red flag.
Can you see your key numbers without building a spreadsheet by hand? If not, start there.

People

Is there someone who could lead AI adoption? An internal champion matters more than the tool.
Do you and your leaders use AI tools yourselves? Teams follow what leaders actually do.

Tools

Do your main systems connect, so data is entered only once?
Are customer messages handled in one shared place?

What your answers mean

Mostly yes: you’re ready to pilot. Pick one use case, one owner and one number.
A mix: fix the biggest gaps first, then run a small pilot.
Mostly no: don’t buy AI yet. Fix priorities, processes and data. You’ll get far more from AI afterwards.

Get your score

Answer the same questions in the free AI Readiness Scorecard and get a score out of 100, with a breakdown by area. For a full assessment, the AI Readiness Audit scores 25 criteria and ranks the five fixes that will pay back fastest.

So, how might we get our business ready for AI before we buy it?