You are considering AI
Evaluating AI before adoption is the cheapest moment to get governance right. A few decisions up front prevent expensive surprises later.
Questions worth answering first
What problem will AI solve, and is AI actually needed? What data will it touch? Who is affected if it is wrong? Which country's rules apply to your customers — not just to you? What will you tell users? Who in your team owns it?
Budget beyond the license
Total cost includes staff training, checking outputs, protecting data, and meeting any applicable legal duties. For most SMEs these costs are modest if planned — and painful if discovered after rollout.
A safe adoption pattern
Start with a low-risk, internal use case; write a short usage policy; pick vendors who answer security and data questions clearly; review after 90 days. Our readiness materials walk you through each step.