This article first appeared in Fortified Quarterly, Q1 2026. Download the full issue.
AI Readiness Starts with Clarity, Data, and Change
Jeff Gregory, CEO @ Ondaro
AI is the buzzword in business today. But turning talk into action is harder than most companies think.
What Does “AI Ready” Actually Mean?
Some think AI is a robot butler that solves world hunger. Others see it as just a tool that takes meeting notes and writes summaries. Without a clear, shared definition of AI across the org, businesses will struggle. Teams end up speaking different languages.
Those who do have that shared understanding — and know how AI applies to their business — are one step closer to being AI ready.
What Problem Are You Actually Trying to Solve?
Before investing in AI, leaders need to ask a direct question: Is this a problem AI can fix?
From there, organizations can take on the next step: knowing what problem they're trying to solve. Is it a problem AI can actually fix? Or are they just assuming "AI" is the catch-all answer? What value do they expect from applying AI to the workflow? Should they look at other options like automation or machine learning instead?
Why Is Data the Make-or-Break Factor?
After defining the problem, they need to tackle the big one: What data are they using, where is it, and how clean is it? If they don't know what their data is, how it's structured, where it's stored, or if they have a plan to clean it — then they're not AI ready.
A December 2024 survey of IT leaders by Hitachi found that 37 percent cited data quality as a major barrier to AI success. If a business's data isn't accessible or understood, none of this will work. It doesn't matter how many other boxes are checked.
Is Your Organization Ready for Change?
Lastly, the business itself must be ready for change. An org's change capacity and management abilities are critical signs of success. Any level of AI adoption will affect people's jobs — what they do and how they do it.
Those that are truly AI ready are the businesses prepared to manage varying degrees of change.
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