Sixth City AI

Understand your adoption stage

Understand your AI adoption stage before choosing the next step.

The AI Adoption Maturity Ladder helps leaders and teams see where AI use stands today, what support is realistic, and which next steps may fit the organization’s readiness.

Explore a Governed AI Adoption Pilot Start an AI Readiness Conversation

Intro / Problem

AI adoption rarely happens evenly. A few employees may be experimenting, leaders may be asking for strategy, managers may be unsure what to allow, and teams may not yet have shared guardrails or training.

The AI Adoption Maturity Ladder gives people a plain-English way to discuss adoption stage and choose more realistic next steps.

Main Section 1

Section headline: Maturity as a planning conversation

Section copy: The ladder helps teams discuss current habits, readiness, confidence, use-case clarity, guardrails, and leadership support. It is not designed to rank organizations or produce a definitive readiness score.

Main Section 2

Section headline: Plain-English stages

Section copy: Stages may range from early curiosity and scattered experimentation to governed practice, repeatable workflows, and stronger adoption routines. The exact language can be adapted during the engagement so the model fits the organization’s reality.

Main Section 3

Section headline: Match the next step to readiness

Section copy: A team early in adoption may need a readiness conversation or Governed AI Adoption Pilot. A team with stronger habits may need workflow redesign, governance advisory, training follow-through, or fractional program support.

Main Section 4

Section headline: A component of the broader Adoption System

Section copy: The ladder can work alongside the AI Readiness Diagnostic, Sixth City AI Adoption System, AI Governance & Guardrails System, and other Adoption Tools.

What This Tool Helps With

  • Naming the organization’s current adoption stage
  • Avoiding premature automation or platform decisions
  • Choosing realistic service paths
  • Giving leaders clearer language for next-step planning

How This Tool Supports Practical Adoption

The ladder helps leaders reduce ambiguity. Instead of asking whether the organization is simply “ready for AI,” teams can ask what kind of readiness they have and what kind of support should come next.

Process / How It Is Used

  1. Discuss current AI use and adoption habits.
  2. Compare the organization’s current state to plain-English maturity stages.
  3. Identify the risks of moving too fast or too slowly.
  4. Choose next steps such as a pilot, readiness diagnostic, training, advisory, or workflow review.

FAQ

Common Questions

Is this a formal score?

Answer: No. The ladder is a planning aid, not a formal score, benchmark, certification, or audit.

Does it compare us against other companies?

Answer: No. It is meant to help your own team understand current habits, readiness, and next steps. It does not claim to benchmark you against other organizations.

What happens after we identify our stage?

Answer: The next step may be a Governed AI Adoption Pilot, AI Readiness Diagnostic, AI Training, AI Strategy & Advisory, governance support, or workflow review.

Can the ladder predict AI results?

Answer: No. It can help clarify maturity and planning needs, but it does not predict ROI, productivity, adoption speed, or business outcomes.

Choose an AI next step that fits your current stage

Start with a readiness conversation or Governed AI Adoption Pilot to understand where your team is and what support should come next

Explore a Governed AI Adoption Pilot Start an AI Readiness Conversation