AI Readiness Assessment by Industry

See how your business compares to others in your industry — 1 minute, no sign-up required.

AI adoption varies dramatically by industry. Some sectors are moving fast while others are just getting started. This assessment shows you where your business falls compared to your peers — and what to do next based on your position.

Take the Assessment

What industry is your business in?

How It Works

The assessment classifies your AI usage into one of four levels, then compares you to industry benchmarks:

  1. Select your industry — we pull the adoption benchmarks for your specific sector.
  2. Answer 5 questions — about how your team uses AI today across workflows, communications, documents, and technology adoption.
  3. See your position — a visual comparison showing where you fall relative to other businesses in your industry.
  4. Get recommendations — industry-specific guides, calculators, and tools based on your current level.

What the Data Shows

AI adoption among small and mid-size businesses is still early across every industry. Here is what the benchmarks reveal:

Most businesses have not started. In every industry we track, the majority of small and mid-size companies are not using AI in any meaningful way. The window to gain a competitive advantage is still wide open.
Adoption is uneven. Industries with heavy document and data workflows (accounting, insurance, legal) are adopting faster than hands-on industries (construction, home services). But the ROI opportunity exists across all of them.
Heavy users are rare. Fewer than 10% of businesses in any industry have deeply integrated AI across multiple workflows. This means even moderate adoption puts you ahead of most competitors.

Next Steps by Level

Your assessment level determines the most productive next action:

Your LevelPriority Action
Not Using AIRead the AI guide for your industry. Identify one repetitive, high-volume workflow. Document it. That is your starting point.
Light UserMove from ad-hoc AI usage to a structured workflow. Pick the process that costs you the most time and automate it end-to-end.
Moderate UserConnect your existing AI tools. Automate the hand-offs between workflows so data flows without manual steps.
Heavy UserMeasure ROI rigorously. Optimize existing automations. Explore AI for strategic decisions — pricing, forecasting, resource allocation.

AI Readiness Signals to Look For

A business is ready for AI when it has a repeatable workflow, clear ownership, and enough examples to test. You do not need perfect data before starting.

You do need a workflow where success is easy to measure. Time saved, faster response, fewer missed leads, cleaner records, or lower ticket volume are all good signals.

  • Your team repeats the same task more than 20 times per week.
  • The work follows a pattern, even if some steps need judgment.
  • The inputs already exist in email, forms, calls, tickets, files, or CRM records.
  • A manager can review AI output before it affects customers or money.
  • The team can name the current bottleneck in plain language.
  • The business has one person who can own the rollout.

Best First AI Workflows by Readiness Level

Your first project should match your maturity. A company with no AI usage should not start with an autonomous agent that touches every system.

Readiness LevelBest First Workflow
Not Using AIUse ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to draft internal SOPs and summarize repeated work.
Light UserTurn one prompt into a shared template for support replies, lead follow-up, or intake summaries.
Moderate UserConnect AI to one system, such as CRM, helpdesk, forms, or document storage.
Heavy UserAdd monitoring, approval queues, reporting, and cross-system workflow automation.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • About 1 minute. There are 5 multiple-choice questions plus an industry selection. No sign-up required to see your results — email capture is optional if you want a copy of your industry report.
  • The adoption benchmarks are a composite of McKinsey, Census Bureau, and trade-press surveys from 2023 to 2024. Numbers are directional — they show where your industry stands relative to others, not a precise count for any single firm.
  • Light means ad-hoc use of tools like ChatGPT without workflow integration. Moderate means AI is embedded in one or two core processes (like customer communications or document handling). Heavy means AI is integrated across multiple business functions with measurable impact on operations.
  • That is the most common result across every industry we track. It means you have the full opportunity ahead of you — and the businesses that move first in your industry will capture the biggest competitive advantage. Start with one high-volume workflow.
  • Yes. Your industry selection determines which benchmarks you see, which resources we recommend, and how your results are contextualized. After completing the assessment, you will see guides, calculators, and tools specific to your industry.
  • Yes. Email yourself the results for industry-specific recommendations. For a deeper analysis, our free AI workflow audit looks at your specific tools, workflows, and bottlenecks to identify the highest-ROI automation opportunity.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Whether you are ahead or behind your peers, we can help. Our free AI workflow audit identifies the specific opportunity with the highest return for your business and industry.

Book Your Free AI Audit