Building an AI Readiness Checklist for Ministries

Before any AI pilot begins, most institutions need to answer a set of questions that have nothing to do with the model itself: what data actually exists, in what condition, and who's authorised to use it for this purpose.

Governance readiness matters just as much — an accountable owner for the pilot's outcomes, and a plan for what happens if the tool underperforms or produces a harmful result.

Staff capacity is the piece most often overlooked: a pilot that only the vendor's consultants can operate isn't building institutional capability, it's building dependency.