Why we made AI Readiness free

AI should work for every business, not just the ones with big budgets and in-house data teams. That's why we've made our AI Readiness Assessment free for a limited time.

Most small businesses don't have an IT team, let alone someone whose job is AI. Even among New Zealand organisations with 100 or more staff, 43% of those not yet using AI said they were "waiting for AI expertise to become more widely available" (Datacom State of AI Index, 2024). Many are waiting for the magic tool that will turn up and sort everything out. It's very unlikely to arrive.

AI doesn't fix your problems. It amplifies them.

• Loose access: if staff can open files they shouldn't, an AI assistant can find and summarise those files for anyone who asks. In a 2024 Gartner survey of 132 IT leaders, 40% said concerns about this kind of oversharing delayed their Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout by three months or more (Computerworld).
• Weak security: every new AI tool is another place your data can end up.
• Inconsistent data: when the same customer or product lives in three versions, AI gives confident answers built on the wrong one.
• Fragmented systems: AI only sees what it's connected to, so it answers with half the picture.

We've seen AI projects stall for exactly these reasons. RAND reports that by some estimates more than 80% of AI projects fail. Two of the root causes it identifies are misunderstanding the problem AI is meant to solve, and not having the data needed to make it work. Gartner predicted at least 30% of generative AI projects would be abandoned after proof of concept by the end of 2025, due to poor data quality, inadequate risk controls, escalating costs or unclear business value.

How not to do it

• Waiting for one tool to fix everything
• Switching AI on before tidying access and permissions
• Buying AI before knowing what problem it solves

Where to start

Our assessment checks your foundations across six areas, including your people and culture, and shows whether your current approach is on the right track. It then gives you a clear path forward, based on our experience. You don't need an in-house team to get started.

Start your AI Readiness Assessment at angleyou.com

References

1. Datacom, Big jump in AI usage in Kiwi companies, but guardrails still not in place (State of AI Index: AI Attitudes, 2024). Survey of 200 senior business leaders in NZ organisations with 100+ employees, conducted by Curia Market Research. https://datacom.com/nz/en/discover/press-release/big-jump-in-ai-usage-in-kiwi-companies-but-guardrails-still-not-in-place
2. Finnegan, M., Microsoft 365 Copilot rollouts slowed by data security, ROI concerns, Computerworld, 27 September 2024 (reporting a June 2024 Gartner survey of 132 IT leaders). https://www.computerworld.com/article/3542000/microsoft-365-copilot-rollouts-slowed-by-data-security-roi-concerns.html
3. Ryseff, J., De Bruhl, B. F., Newberry, S. J., The Root Causes of Failure for Artificial Intelligence Projects and How They Can Succeed, RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2680-1.html
4. Gartner, Gartner Predicts 30% of Generative AI Projects Will Be Abandoned After Proof of Concept By End of 2025, press release, 29 July 2024. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-07-29-gartner-predicts-30-percent-of-generative-ai-projects-will-be-abandoned-after-proof-of-concept-by-end-of-2025