LEVEL 1
Explorer
Human: 95%
AI: 5%
First steps into AI. Individual employees exploring AI tools on their own initiative, without formal strategy or governance.
First steps into AI. Individual employees exploring AI tools on their own initiative, without formal strategy or governance.
Level 1 organizations have begun experimenting with AI but in an ad-hoc, unstructured manner. Individual employees or small teams are exploring AI tools on their own initiative, without formal strategy, standardization, or governance.
4-8 months of exploration and experimentation before moving to structured adoption
1-5 tools in use by individuals. Often personal subscriptions (ChatGPT, Claude, Jasper)
Pockets of awareness; uneven distribution. Self-directed learning by enthusiasts
Informal or non-existent. Discussions happening but no formal plan
Minimal; often personal subscriptions or small team budgets
Happening but informal. Champions sharing successes
Beginning to close the gap with competitors
Low-hanging fruit that individuals can start using today
Symptoms: Employees using personal AI accounts for work, sensitive data being entered into public tools, no visibility into usage.
Solutions: Conduct AI tool audit, provide approved enterprise alternatives, create clear policy with consequences, make approved tools easy to access.
Symptoms: Department heads blocking exploration, job security concerns, "that won't work here" attitudes.
Solutions: Share success stories from similar companies, start with willing departments, address job security directly, demonstrate augmentation not replacement.
Symptoms: Some employees get great results, others struggle, quality varies widely, frustration with tools.
Solutions: Share successful prompts, create prompt libraries, peer training between successful users, basic prompt engineering training.
Complete these to advance to Level 2 (Adopter)
Owner: Executive sponsor + AI lead
Create initial AI strategy document with vision, 1-year goals, and priority use cases by department.
Owner: CFO + AI lead
Establish formal AI budget line item (recommended: 1-3% of revenue) with tracking mechanism.
Owner: Legal/HR + AI lead
Finalize and publish AI usage policies with acceptable use, data handling, and vendor approval process.
Owner: IT + department leaders
Select 2-3 standard AI tools, negotiate enterprise licenses, create onboarding guide.
Owner: HR + AI lead
Launch structured AI training with role-based learning paths. Target: 50%+ employees enrolled.
Owner: AI lead + HR
Formalize AI champion program (1-2 per department) with regular meetings and responsibilities.
Owner: AI champions + department heads
Document 50+ use cases, evaluate impact/effort, prioritize using scoring matrix.
Owner: IT/Data team + AI lead
Assess data readiness for top 10 use cases, create data improvement roadmap.
Owner: IT + AI lead
Plan AI tool integrations with existing systems. Prototype first integration.
Owner: AI lead + department owners
Run 3+ successful pilots (30-60 days each) with documented ROI.
Owner: Legal/Compliance + AI lead
Draft AI governance framework with decision rights, risk classification, ethics guidelines.
Owner: HR + AI lead + Communications
Create AI change management plan with stakeholder comms and resistance mitigation.
| Metric | Level 1 Baseline | Target for Level 2 |
|---|---|---|
| AI Tools in Use | 1-5 (ad-hoc) | 2-3 (standardized) |
| Employees Using AI Weekly | 5-15% | 30-50% |
| AI Training Completion | Self-directed | 50%+ formal training |
| Documented Use Cases | 10-20 | 50+ prioritized |
| Successful Pilots | 0-2 | 5+ with documented ROI |
Move from exploration to standardized adoption