AI Readiness Checklist¶

Q: What is an AI readiness assessment?

An AI readiness assessment evaluates whether your organisation has the governance, data, technical capabilities and culture needed to adopt AI safely and effectively.

Q: How long does an AI readiness assessment take?

This checklist takes 15-30 minutes to complete. For a thorough team discussion, allow 1-2 hours to work through all sections together.

Q: What score indicates we're ready for AI?

No score approves AI use. Count completed items out of 26 to track progress: 0–10, 11–20 and 21–26 are indicative planning bands, not validated safety thresholds. Before a pilot or wider deployment, document the use-case risk assessment, required controls, testing, accountable owner and approval. Unresolved safety, privacy or approval requirements cannot be offset by other checked items.

Q: Is this checklist free to use?

Yes. This checklist is licensed under CC BY 4.0. You may copy, adapt and use it commercially with attribution to SafeAI-Aus.

Purpose: Assess your organisation's preparedness for safe AI adoption Audience: Leadership, governance and technical teams | Time: 15-30 minutes

How to Use This Checklist

Print or share this checklist with stakeholders
Read through each section individually or as a team
Discuss each section and tick boxes that apply to your organisation
Document evidence for each checked item
Tally your score using the guide below
Identify priority gaps to address
Create an action plan for unchecked items with owners and timeframes

This checklist helps Australian businesses decide if they are ready to adopt AI safely, responsibly and effectively.

This checklist supports practical work under the Australian Government’s Guidance for AI Adoption (AI6) and selected governance topics in ISO/IEC 42001:2023 and NIST AI RMF 1.0 (2023). It is a planning aid, not a conformity assessment.

Tick an item only when you can point to supporting evidence. Record unresolved or not-applicable items with a reason; do not count them as completed. The total tracks progress across this checklist and does not determine whether a particular AI use is safe to proceed.

Assessment Sections¶

1️⃣ Strategy & Governance¶

Clear AI vision linked to business goals
A designated senior executive accountable for AI initiatives
An AI Use Policy covering acceptable use, privacy, and IP
Approval process for new AI initiatives
Change management plan for AI adoption
Stakeholder communication strategy defined

2️⃣ Data & Privacy¶

Up-to-date data inventory and quality checks
Applicable privacy duties identified and the required controls documented, including the Privacy Act 1988 and APPs where they apply
Protections for business IP and checks on data rights, copyright and licences
Processes to anonymise or pseudonymise personal data, with re-identification risks assessed for the intended use

Pseudonymisation does not by itself make information legally de-identified. Use the OAIC’s de-identification guidance to assess whether people remain identifiable in context.

3️⃣ Risk & Impact¶

Risk and impact assessments completed (bias, safety, rights)
High-risk use cases identified and controlled
Sign-offs recorded before deployment

4️⃣ People & Skills¶

Human oversight for important decisions
Staff trained on safe AI use and escalation paths
Clear process for reporting incidents or issues

5️⃣ Testing & Monitoring¶

Pre-deployment testing (performance, fairness, robustness)
Ongoing monitoring for errors, drift and safety
Records kept of models, prompts and key decisions

6️⃣ Suppliers & Partners¶

Vendor evidence assessed against relevant VAISS (2024) guardrails, with gaps and responsibilities recorded
Contracts cover privacy, IP and security requirements
Regular review of vendor practices and updates

7️⃣ Financial & Resource Readiness¶

AI budget allocated and approved
ROI expectations and success metrics defined
Resources identified for ongoing maintenance and updates
Cost-benefit analysis completed

Interpreting Your Score¶

Count completed items out of 26. The bands below are indicative ways to organise follow-up work; they are not validated readiness thresholds.

Before starting a pilot or wider deployment: confirm an accountable owner, approved tools and permitted data, a use-case risk assessment, required privacy and IP controls, pre-deployment testing, human oversight, an incident escalation path and recorded approval. A high total cannot compensate for an unresolved requirement in these areas. Wider deployment also needs evidence that the controls work at the proposed scale.

Early Stage (0–10 items checked)

Status: Building foundations Recommendation: Prioritise governance and staff skills, and resolve the conditions above before any deployment

Priority actions:

📋 Draft an AI Use Policy
👥 Identify a senior executive to lead AI initiatives
🎯 Work through the AI Risk Assessment Checklist

Example: Organisation exploring AI but lacking formal processes

Mid Stage (11–20 items checked)

Status: Building evidence for a pilot decision Recommendation: Resolve the conditions above before authorising a controlled trial

Priority actions:

🧪 Define a small pilot’s scope, controls and approval conditions
📊 Set up an AI Project Register
⚠️ Conduct a risk assessment for each use case

Example: Organisation with basic governance preparing evidence for a controlled trial

Advanced Stage (21–26 items checked)

Status: Preparing for a scaling decision Recommendation: Review pilot results, remaining gaps and controls before approving wider deployment

Priority actions:

🚀 Assess whether successful pilots can operate safely at the proposed scale
📈 Implement AI Assurance practices
🔄 Establish regular governance reviews

Example: Organisation with established governance assessing wider use of its AI systems

Alignment with Australian Standards¶

These examples show how the checklist can support selected framework practices. They do not establish compliance with every requirement.

Framework Support

AI6 Essential PracticesVoluntary AI Safety Standard (10 Guardrails)

✓ Understand impacts and plan accordingly — Section 3 prompts risk and impact assessment

✓ Decide who is accountable — Section 1 prompts executive ownership and approval arrangements

✓ Test and monitor — Section 5 prompts testing and monitoring evidence

✓ Guardrail 1 – Accountability and governance — Section 1 prompts ownership and governance arrangements

✓ Guardrail 2 – Risk management — Section 3 prompts risk assessment and controls

✓ Guardrail 4 – Testing and monitoring — Section 5 prompts evaluation before and during use

✓ Guardrail 8 – Supply-chain information sharing — Section 6 prompts supplier evidence and review; information-sharing arrangements still need to be agreed

✓ Guardrail 9 – Records — Section 5 prompts records of models, prompts and decisions

Guardrail labels are shortened summaries of the published VAISS (2024) catalogue.

Next Steps¶

Where to go from here:

✅ Score 0–10? Start with: AI Use Policy
✅ Score 11–20? Set up: AI Project Register
✅ Score 21–26? Plan a scaling review with: AI Implementation Roadmap

Related templates:

📋 AI Risk Assessment Checklist — Evaluate specific AI systems
🔄 AI Change Management — Plan organisational rollout
📊 AI Vendor Evaluation — Assess third-party tools

Disclaimer & Licence

Disclaimer: This template provides best practice guidance for Australian organisations. SafeAI-Aus has exercised care in preparation but does not guarantee accuracy, reliability, or completeness. Organisations should adapt to their specific context and may wish to seek advice from legal, governance, or compliance professionals before formal adoption.

Licence: Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). You are free to copy, adapt and redistribute with attribution: "Source: SafeAI-Aus (safeaiaus.org)"