R Ready for AI
Anchored on NIST AI RMF · ISO/IEC 42001 · CHAI · EDUCAUSE

From AI curiosity to a governed roadmap.

71% of organizations use generative AI somewhere in the business. 11% use it in risk, legal, and compliance — the function that governs AI. Ready for AI closes that gap, through assessment, opportunity discovery, and a student-powered Innovation Lab that turns the roadmap into reality.

No credit card. ~7 minutes. You get a benchmarked score across 10 dimensions and your top 5 opportunities.
Your AI Readiness Snapshot
Sample
Overall
2.3/5
Follower archetype
Opportunities surfaced
12
4 Quick Wins
Strategy & Leadership 2.5/5
Data Foundations 1.5/5
Governance, Risk & Responsibility 2.0/5
Implementation Capacity 1.0/5
Talent & Culture 3.5/5
Step 01 — The problem

The market is rich in AI enthusiasm, poor in AI structure

71%

of organizations regularly use gen AI in at least one business function

QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, published Mar 2025; fieldwork Jul 2024
11%

use it in risk, legal, and compliance — the function that governs AI

QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, published Mar 2025; fieldwork Jul 2024
80%+

of organizations report no tangible impact on enterprise-level EBIT from their use of gen AI

QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, published Mar 2025; fieldwork Jul 2024

Every figure we publish is registered, dated, and sourced — see the evidence base.

Step 02 — The framework

Ten dimensions on a single maturity scale

We synthesize NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, MIT CISR, and the vertical-specific frameworks your board already trusts into one scoreable instrument.

1 2 3 4 5 Strategy & Leadership Use-Case Portfolio Data Foundations Technology & Infrastructure Security & Privacy Talent & Culture Process Maturity Governance & Responsibility Vendor & Procurement Implementation Capacity DEMO 2.5 / 5 · CHASER
Maturity scale — applied per dimension
0
Absent
Not present
1
Ad-hoc
Informal, scattered pilots
2
Emerging
Some practices, first policies
3
Defined
Repeatable, governed, scaled pilots
4
Managed
Measured, monitored, integrated
5
Optimized
AI-native, competitive advantage

Aggregated → Cisco-style archetype: Laggard · Follower · Chaser · Pacesetter · Leader.

Step 03 — How it works

A three-layer operating system, not another audit

Each layer earns the next. Most consultants stop at Layer A. We don't.

A
7 min – 2 wks

Readiness Assessment

Score across 10 dimensions on a 0–5 maturity scale. Benchmark against a vertical cohort. Identify where you actually are today.

B
3–6 wks

Opportunity Discovery

Interview leadership + frontline. Map workflows. Surface, score, and validate the AI opportunities that matter. Build the ROI case.

C
12 wks – ongoing

Innovation Lab

Student Fellows + faculty mentors + senior consultants execute pilots through a credit-bearing Lab. Monitoring retainer keeps it honest.

Step 04 — Five pillars

Five pillars we won't compromise on

🛡
Security

NIST AI RMF + ISO 42001 baked into every recommendation.

🎓
Responsibility

Academic oversight. Faculty advisor signs the engagement.

🪜
Multiple phases

Snapshot → Assessment → Lab. Meet you where you are, on cost.

👥
Human-in-loop

Fellows do the work; senior consultants gate every artifact.

🔁
Reusable framework

Every engagement makes the next one sharper. Benchmarks compound.

Step 05 — Three verticals

Where a wrong AI answer has a legal consequence

We work in the three sectors where a model’s mistake lands on a person who has a statutory right to a defensible decision — a patient, a student, a resident.

Healthcare

Safe, prioritized AI adoption for health systems

HIPAA-, HTI-1-, and CHAI-aware readiness for PE-backed platforms, regional health systems, and digital-health companies. Administrative-first, clinical when ready.

Healthcare readiness diagnostic →
Higher Ed

Start an AI Innovation Lab on your campus

A turnkey, credit-bearing Lab that gives students applied AI experience, faculty real project material, and regional employers a structured AI adoption path.

Lab-in-a-Box for universities →
Public Sector

Governed AI for state and local government

Human sign-off wired to consequence rather than category, a signed audit trail that survives an appeal, and inference costs bounded before they become the line item that ends the program.

Public sector readiness →
Step 06 — Start

See your readiness in 7 minutes

Free, no credit card. You get your score across 10 dimensions, a vertical benchmark, and your top 5 opportunities.