Explainer

What is an AI readiness assessment?

An AI readiness assessment measures whether an organization can put AI into production safely and profitably; an independent audit differs from a self-report because every claim is tested against evidence.

What a self-report misses

A self-report records what an organization believes about itself, which is why teams that score themselves ready still stall in production. The Ejentic AI Strategy Health Check asks your team for facts — counts, owners, spend, documents — rather than ratings, so a claim can be checked instead of accepted.

How an independent audit differs

An independent audit rates the same capabilities a second time from evidence the auditor can see: documents, permissions, usage and governance records. Both views are then charted side by side, and the distance between them is the finding — the place where risk is sitting unnoticed.

The five pillars an assessment covers

Readiness is scored across five pillars, each carrying its own risk weight and its own written Level 5 standard. A single weak pillar can hold a whole programme, which is why none of them is optional in a full check.

Pillar 1: Business strategy and AI value — Where AI attaches to the business, who owns it, and whether the value is proven.
Pillar 2: Data readiness — Is the data fit for an AI use case to consume?
Pillar 3: AI security and trust — Five domains protecting the data, the models and the people using them.
Pillar 4: People and change — Communication, collaboration and capacity when AI enters the work.
Pillar 5: AI operating governance — How governed the AI already running is, across five process domains.

What a grade means

Each pillar and the organization overall receive a letter grade, which is a reading aid over the score rather than a separate judgement. F covers 1.00 to 1.74 and S covers 4.75 and above, and the decimal is always printed alongside the letter. The methodology page sets out every band.

What an assessment costs

Assessments are fixed price, starting at $3,500 for the Single-pillar check and rising with how much of the work is done in the room with your people. Remediation afterwards is quoted module by module, never as one total. Every published price is on the pricing page.

How long it takes

The window depends on the tier you pick, and each one runs from kick-off. Your own fact-gathering sets the pace, and unanswered questions stay open rather than being guessed at.

· Single-pillar check: 1–2 weeks from kick-off
· Automated assessment: 2–3 weeks from kick-off
· Senior-led assessment: 5–6 weeks from kick-off