AI Initiative Evaluation Worksheet

One AI proposal, five lenses, one page. Score each lens 1–5, write the evidence, and let the pattern — not the enthusiasm in the room — carry the decision.

Initiative	Name of the proposed tool or project
Sponsor / requesting unit	Name
Date evaluated	Date

The five lenses

Lens	The question & your evidence	Score 1–5	Weight
Mission fit	Does this advance a stated institutional priority, or is it a solution seeking a problem? Evidence…	—	×3
Equity	Who benefits, who could be harmed or excluded, and has that been tested on real subpopulations? Evidence…	—	×3
Readiness	Do the data, integration, skills, and support exist to make this work — or are we assuming them? Evidence…	—	×2
True total cost	Beyond the license: data work, integration, people, training, sustainment. Typically 3–5× the sticker. Estimate…	—	×2
Risk	Privacy, compliance, accuracy, vendor lock-in, reputational. What is the residual risk and who accepts it? Assessment…	—	×3

Score honestly. A single 1 or 2 on Equity or Risk is a stop signal regardless of the total — those lenses have veto weight, not just points.

The decision

Adopt & scale

Pilot with defined exit

Decline

Rationale & conditions:

If piloting: state the success criteria and the review date now. If declining: say why, so the answer holds next time it is asked.

Companion to The Path, Module 4 and the Applied AI domain profile at campusaiproficiency.com.