SME & Startup AI Governance Self-Assessment

Assess the Maturity of Your AI Governance—AIGN SME & Startup Framework

Is your startup or SME ready to demonstrate responsible, transparent, and scalable AI governance—from day one?

The AIGN SME & Startup AI Governance Self-Assessment offers founders and small teams a fast, confidential, and actionable way to benchmark their AI governance maturity—without bureaucracy, consultants, or complexity. Map your organization’s strengths, get instant feedback, and unlock your next steps to trusted, certifiable AI.

No registration. No data transfer. 100% privacy by design.

About the AIGN SME & Startup AI Governance Framework

The AIGN SME & Startup Framework is purpose-built to empower startups and small businesses to embed responsible AI into daily practice, not just policies. Fully aligned with the EU AI Act, ISO/IEC 42001, OECD AI Principles, and other international standards, the framework transforms global requirements into practical, ready-to-use tools, templates, and self-assessments.

No legal jargon. No endless paperwork. Just practical steps to make trust, compliance, and innovation part of your business model—from MVP to global scale.

Why Use the AIGN SME & Startup Self-Assessment?

• Startup-Ready: Assess your AI governance maturity in under 10 minutes—designed for fast-moving teams, solo founders, and scale-ups.
• Immediate Feedback: Receive a clear maturity score and concrete recommendations you can act on right away.
• Global Compliance Made Simple: Covers all key international requirements—EU AI Act, ISO/IEC 42001, GDPR, and more.
• Privacy by Design: All answers stay on your device. No data leaves your company.
• Actionable Roadmap: Instantly see where you stand and what your next steps are to build trusted, auditable AI.

How It Works

For each question, select the score that best reflects your current practice—from 1 (“not in place”) to 5 (“fully established and documented”).
Be honest: a true baseline is the foundation for growth, funding, and certification.

Ready to get started?

Begin your self-assessment now and discover your roadmap to responsible, resilient, and trust-based AI governance.

AIGN SME & Startup AI Governance Self-Assessment Based on the AIGN SME & Startup AI Governance Framework

Assess your SME/Startup’s AI Governance Maturity across 5 core pillars and 20 actionable indicators.
Benchmark your company against the AIGN SME & Startup AI Governance Framework—the global, certifiable standard for responsible, agentic, and inclusive AI.
100% privacy by design—no data leaves your device.

1. Trust & Transparency

1. Is your AI system’s purpose, logic, and data sources clearly documented and accessible? E.g. one-page model description, visible data provenance, “explainable AI” for users/clients.

1 2 3 4 5

2. Are key risks (e.g., bias, agentic drift, “black box” outputs) identified and reviewed regularly? E.g. risk scan, quick bias check, agentic risk mapping, checklist in dev sprints.

1 2 3 4 5

3. Can you explain and justify AI decisions to users, partners, and regulators? E.g. plain-language documentation, explainability templates, sample user explanations.

1 2 3 4 5

4. Are stakeholders (users, clients, partners) informed about AI’s intended use and limitations? E.g. clear user info, onboarding, product FAQ, documentation, “model card”.

1 2 3 4 5

2. Governance & Roles

5. Are clear roles and responsibilities for AI and data defined (even in small teams)? E.g. RACI-Lite, simple role map, named escalation contact, clear accountability for AI failures.

1 2 3 4 5

6. Is there a documented redline (what your AI must never do) and a process for regular review? E.g. one-pager “redline canvas”, team alignment on ethical/legal boundaries, update schedule.

1 2 3 4 5

7. Are incident response and escalation routines defined and tested? E.g. quick-playbook for AI/data/culture incidents, team knows who acts, escalation “kill switch”.

1 2 3 4 5

8. Are feedback and complaints channels visible and easy to use for all stakeholders? E.g. web form, email, hotline, simple complaint/feedback register, clear handling process.

1 2 3 4 5

3. Data & Copyright Governance

9. Are all training and user data sources documented with provenance, license, and consent? E.g. data checklist, copyright log, source/license tracking, documented consent for all datasets.

1 2 3 4 5

10. Are data minimization, user deletion, and redress rights operationalized? E.g. documented deletion/correction process, redress channel for data issues, register of actions.

1 2 3 4 5

11. Are periodic data/copyright reviews and updates conducted? E.g. checklist for updates, review log, audit trail, new dataset due diligence.

1 2 3 4 5

12. Is your copyright/IP compliance ready for client, investor, or regulatory review? E.g. “show me” documentation, template pack, ready-to-share proof for due diligence.

1 2 3 4 5

4. Risk & Incident Management

13. Do you regularly check for new risks (bias, emergent behaviors, security) in your AI products? E.g. sprint checklist, agentic risk mapping, rapid “red team” tests, stakeholder feedback scan.

1 2 3 4 5

14. Are incidents (technical, ethical, cultural) tracked, documented, and reviewed for lessons learned? E.g. incident register, annual transparency report, root cause log, improvement actions.

1 2 3 4 5

15. Is there a tested escalation/“kill switch” process for agentic or autonomous AI systems? E.g. named escalation lead, tested “circuit breaker”, off-switch documented, responsibility clear.

1 2 3 4 5

16. Do you communicate incident handling and improvements openly (internally or externally)? E.g. post-mortems, team meetings, partner/investor transparency, customer updates.

1 2 3 4 5

5. Stakeholder Inclusion & Continuous Improvement

17. Are affected stakeholders (users, customers, communities) actively included in governance decisions? E.g. yearly feedback cycle, participatory review, user/stakeholder surveys, co-design pilots.

1 2 3 4 5

18. Is stakeholder feedback used to adjust and improve AI systems and governance processes? E.g. visible feedback log, governance updates after input, customer success stories, lessons learned.

1 2 3 4 5

19. Are culture and inclusion pulse checks or maturity reviews conducted regularly? E.g. anonymous survey, pulse check, external review, lessons learned sessions.

1 2 3 4 5

20. Are your governance processes and trust commitments visible to partners, customers, and investors? E.g. public governance statement, trust label, visible certificate, shareable documentation.

1 2 3 4 5

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Assessment logic based on the AIGN SME & Startup AI Governance Framework – www.aign.global

Ready to Scale Your Responsible AI Governance?

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From your first self-check to public trust label, AIGN is your partner for scaling responsible, certifiable AI.

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• Full access to the AIGN Startup & SME Tool Suite
• Step-by-step expert guidance—no consultants needed
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Don’t leave your AI governance to chance.
Contact us today to discover how the AIGN SME & Startup Framework—complete with official tools and templates—can help you win trust, contracts, and growth in the AI era.

Let’s make responsible AI your startup’s competitive edge—contact us.