Fast rule: Do not buy AI because a grant may support technology. Use AI when a repeated workflow has clear inputs, rules, quality checks, and business value.
Good early AI use cases
- Lead qualification and enquiry routing.
- Customer support draft replies with human review.
- Internal knowledge search over SOPs and documents.
- Report summarisation from structured data.
- Operations assistants for repetitive admin decisions.
Weak AI project signs
- No clear owner after launch.
- Data is missing, messy, or trapped in multiple systems.
- The vendor cannot explain failure modes or human review.
- The project is described as “AI chatbot” without workflow scope.
Readiness questions
- What decision or output should AI assist?
- What data or documents will it use?
- Who checks quality?
- What happens when the answer is wrong?
- What metric should improve within 90 days?
Grant angle
Depending on scope, AI projects may sit closer to EDG-style transformation, SMEs Go Digital advisory, or a smaller internal pilot. Verify official grant routes before assuming support.