How to use the AI Impact Navigator

Introduction

The AI Impact Navigator Framework is designed to help companies measure and improve their AI impact across 4 key dimensions. Each dimension contains 5 indicators, providing a comprehensive view of a company's AI initiatives.

Companies assess themselves against these indicators using a survey. This assessment should ideally involve a diverse, cross‑functional group of stakeholders, including internal teams and possibly external advisors, to provide a well‑rounded perspective on performance.

Rating scale

Companies rate themselves on a 5‑point scale, from ‘poor’ to ‘excellent’. The primary differences between these ratings are based on the company’s understanding, delivery, and measurement of AI impact. To achieve an ‘excellent' rating, companies must publicly report their AI impact and have it independently verified.

Guidance and measures

To assist with self‑assessment, the framework includes guidance questions. These prompts help stakeholder groups start discussions and analyse the key aspects of each indicator. Additionally, each indicator is supported by example measures that companies can adopt to track their progress. Companies are encouraged to develop custom measures that best suit their unique context and needs.

Plan, Act, Adapt cycle

The framework promotes a continuous improvement cycle known as Plan, Act, Adapt. Companies should revisit the survey regularly (e.g., quarterly), update their reporting on each indicator, and discuss the actions and initiatives undertaken to drive change. The focus is not just on the measurements themselves but on the insights gained and the proactive steps taken to enhance AI impact.

Implementation Plan

The Implementation Plan summarises how your initiative or project will lead to a positive impact. It describes the basic steps and helps identify what you need to measure to demonstrate changes. This plan is integral to ensuring that the actions taken are aligned with the overall goals and that the impact can be effectively tracked and communicated.

Impact Story

The Impact Story captures your company’s impact as it is now, so you can share it with stakeholders, peers and reporting bodies. Writing your Impact Story is a chance for you to keep a record of how your impact evolves over time, and an opportunity to create and maintain transparency about how your AI use is impacting key players around your company. 

Key points

  • Self‑assessment: Conducted with diverse stakeholder input.
  • 5‑point rating scale: From ‘poor’ to ‘excellent’, emphasising understanding, delivery, and measurement. Public Reporting and Verification is required for an ‘excellent’ rating.
  • Guidance questions: Facilitate discussion and deeper analysis.
  • Example measures: Provide a starting point for tracking progress. Custom measures are encouraged for company‑specific insights.
  • Continuous improvement: Regular updates and discussions to drive ongoing enhancement.

To use the Navigator, you’ll need to follow 3 steps. Your company will need to decide on your areas of priority, and how best to meet those needs.

The Plan, Act, Adapt cycle, showing that the process is circular and repeating.

Using the Navigator 

1. Plan – with the AI Impact Navigator Survey

Create an environment for the Navigator to guide AI adoption in your company.

  • Form a multi–disciplinary, diverse and cross‑functional team. Make sure the team is made up of members who have different strengths, levels of seniority and perspectives. The team is led by a captain who is senior enough in the company to make decisions.
  • Complete the Navigator Survey. The survey involves a set of indicators across each dimension on the AI Impact Navigator. Each indicator will require the team to source evidence or justification for the answer.
  • Make sure you foster a culture of honesty and courage so you can tackle tough conversations that come out of this survey. Leaders must protect this space and ensure every team member can share their perspective, as embracing diverse viewpoints is key to understanding impact.
  • Once you’ve completed the survey, take the results to your Executives and begin internal conversations to inform priorities for action.

2. Act – by creating an Implementation Plan

Develop an implementation plan with clear goals and measures to address the four dimensions.

  • Based on what you learn from the results of the survey, prepare a plan for action to address identified internal or external priorities. You should align your efforts to one or more of these four dimensions.
  • A key part of this step is identifying which indicators from the survey can be used to demonstrate changes in line with your priorities. The Implementation Plan template provides a way of summarising your priorities, activities, and what you anticipate will change. 
  • Once you have settled on your priorities, actions, intended outcomes, and your impact measurement approach, it’s time to get it formally endorsed by Executives and get the work underway.

3. Adapt – by developing your Impact Story

Bring together your data and evidence of impact.

Impact measurement involves understanding the changes resulting from your work and learning from them. Working towards impact requires reflection and learning. You’ve made efforts to bring about change, but now it's time to decide the organisation's next steps.

  • After completing your planned activities, reassess your progress. Gather your team to review and update your survey indicators to determine the changes, using the Impact Story template. The key question is: given this information, what should be done next?
  • Using guidance from the Voluntary AI Safety Standard's Guardrail 1, incorporate this process as part of your overall AI governance approach. 
  • Commit to repeating your impact measurement process regularly.