AI Readiness Checklist¶

This checklist helps Australian businesses decide if they are ready to adopt AI safely, responsibly, and effectively.
It reflects the Voluntary AI Safety Standard (10 Guardrails) released by the Australian Government and is consistent with international frameworks such as ISO/IEC 42001:2023 and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.

Tick the boxes that apply to your organisation. A higher score means greater readiness.

1) Strategy & Governance¶

[ ] Clear AI vision linked to business goals
[ ] A named senior owner for AI (accountable leader)
[ ] An AI Use Policy covering acceptable use, privacy, and IP
[ ] Approval process for new AI initiatives

2) Data & Privacy¶

[ ] Up-to-date data inventory and quality checks
[ ] Compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (APPs)
[ ] Protections for business IP (Copyright Act 1968)
[ ] Ability to anonymise or pseudonymise personal data

3) Risk & Impact¶

[ ] Risk and impact assessments completed (bias, safety, rights)
[ ] High-risk use cases identified and controlled
[ ] Sign-offs recorded before deployment

4) People & Skills¶

[ ] Human oversight for important decisions
[ ] Staff trained on safe AI use and escalation paths
[ ] Clear process for reporting incidents or issues

5) Testing & Monitoring¶

[ ] Pre-deployment testing (performance, fairness, robustness)
[ ] Ongoing monitoring for errors, drift, and safety
[ ] Records kept of models, prompts, and key decisions

6) Suppliers & Partners¶

[ ] Vendors align with Australia’s 10 Guardrails
[ ] Contracts cover privacy, IP, and security requirements
[ ] Regular review of vendor practices and updates

Scoring (quick read)¶

0–10: Early stage - build governance and staff skills first
11–20: Mid stage - ready for pilots with strong oversight
21–30: Advanced - ready to scale with continuous improvement

Use alongside the Voluntary AI Safety Standard (10 Guardrails) for best practice adoption in Australia.