On why most Indiana CEOs feel behind on AI.
Bryce Carpenter
COO, Conexus Indiana
The AI Proficiency Standard
We set the
standard.
The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency is the measurable standard for AI-capable teams. It is the foundation under everything we build. We use it to make you and your people more capable, not replaceable.
Twenty minutes. A clear next step, whether we work together or not.
2.8M+
Views on the AI Ready Podcast
3
AI books published
Ivy Tech
Helped build + facilitate the AI Certification course
20-hr
AI Law Tracker build, state-referenced
Trusted by
Wheaton Worldwide Moving
IHSAA
TechIndiana
Kingdom Factor
IWU Devoe School of Business
If this sounds familiar
You own a business.
Lately, it owns you.
The day fills with the work only you can handle: the proposals, the reports, the follow-ups, the same five questions answered for the hundredth time. It cannot run without you, so it never really lets you go. The missed dinners, the lost weekends, the round of golf you keep rescheduling are the hours it quietly takes.
When were you last fully off, with no part of the business running in the back of your head?
There is a way out, and it is not another hire or another late night. An AI that knows your business can take the draining work off your plate, so you stop being the bottleneck and get your week back. We set it up with you, and you own it.
Our Thesis
The white-collar factory
is closing.
The corporate org chart most companies still use was built by the Romans for moving information across an empire when human beings were the only intelligence available. AI just collapsed the cost of running it. The companies that restructure compound. The ones that bolt AI onto the old hierarchy do not.
“You are not crazy. You were just early.”
This is the foundational thesis behind everything LaunchReady builds: the framework, the assessment, the engagement, the books.
Read the manifestoHow to use this site
Your AI readiness
in five steps.
Every visitor lands on this map. Pick where you are.
-
01WhyRead the manifesto →
The argument for why the org chart you have was built by the Romans.
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02ProofRead the book →
The framework operationalized. Available on Amazon.
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03MeasureTake the free assessment →
Ten minutes. A level placement and a written next step.
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04BuildSet up your AI with us →
Built With You. We set up an AI that does the work draining your week, so you own it.
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05ScaleDevelop your whole team →
The 7 Levels Engagement. Six weeks with your leadership team, measured start to finish.
Ready when you are.
Our Approach
The 7 Levels of
AI Proficiency.
The measurable standard for AI-capable teams. A ladder from where your team is today to where the work needs them to be.
Foundational
The CadetAI AwareYou have tried AI, but you type into it like a search box and the results feel hit-or-miss.
The EnsignPrompt EngineerYou write clear, structured prompts and get better results, but still treat AI like a vending machine.
Practitioner
The LieutenantCritical ThinkerYou treat AI as a thinking partner, pushing back and stress-testing instead of quitting at the first weak answer.
The CommanderContext EngineerYou manage the conversation itself, starting fresh and carrying context forward so your results stay consistent.
Builder
The CaptainDesign ThinkerYou design AI workflows for other people, deciding what gets built, what data it needs, and how to scope access.
The AdmiralSystems IntegratorYou turn your best processes into documented, reusable workflows that run consistently and compound.
Leader
Mission DirectorAI OrchestratorYou chain workflows into self-running systems and lead the human change, the most human role, not the most technical.
Why we exist
We help leaders develop the AI-ready people
they didn’t know they had.
That means using AI to make people more capable, not to replace them. It is the line under everything we build, from the free assessment to the AI we set up with you.
What we publish
The book, the assessment,
the work.
We don't gate the framework. We publish it. The measurement is free. The signed first edition ships before the public launch. The work happens daily.
52
Bills tracked
Daily
Updated
20 hrs
Build time
1
Founder, solo
Case Study
The first live AI legislation tracker.
Built in 20 hours.
AI Law Tracker is a free, public reference tool for Indiana AI legislation. It tracks every bill, every sponsor, and every vote. It is referenced by Indiana state compliance officials and is the work of one founder using AI as the operating layer.
This is what Level 6 looks like in practice. The framework, applied to a real problem, in a week.
Read the case study →In conversation on the AI Ready Podcast
Recent guests on the AI Ready Podcast
On Harrison as the AI-operator model.
Jay Samit
Former Vice Chairman, Deloitte Digital
Social proof
What leaders
say.
You are the poster boy for AI. Barnabas is running your empire.
Harrison Painter’s AI workshop was a game-changer. Our agents explored how tools like ChatGPT can streamline marketing, customer service, and operations.
If any organization has the opportunity to engage with this team I would not hesitate to take that opportunity. I was very pleased with the results of the training, and I know you will be too.
Harrison is doing important work at LaunchReady. If you lead a team and want to know where your organization actually stands on AI proficiency, his free assessment is worth ten minutes.
Working with Harrison is a game changer for our BIGGBY Coffee hospitality approach. Using AI, he created a thoughtful, science-backed hospitality plan in minutes after I provided a framework of my idea. I highly recommend Harrison to any business looking to strengthen culture and create a more intentional customer experience.
For teams · the scale-up
The 7 Levels
Engagement.
When AI readiness becomes a company-wide question, this is the next rung: a six-week engagement for your leadership team. Cohort up to fifteen, remote-default. Pre-engagement assessment, four live cohort sessions, post-engagement re-assessment, and a written capability audit at the end.
Built for leadership teams where AI readiness has become a board-level question.
01
Pre-engagement assessment
Every participant takes the proprietary 7 Levels assessment. You see where the team stands before we start.
02
Four live cohort sessions
Working sessions, not lectures. Built around your team's actual problems and the 7 Levels framework. Recorded.
03
Post-engagement re-assessment
Same assessment, same team, six weeks later. Proof of movement, not opinion.
04
Written capability audit report
A delivered document at the end. Where you started. Where you are now. The next thing to work on. Use it with your board.
About
Harrison
Painter.
Founder of LaunchReady.ai. Author of You Have Already Been Replaced by AI. Host of the AI Ready Podcast. Builder of the AI Law Tracker. Twenty years in business. The last three building the standard for what AI-ready actually means.
Founder, LaunchReady.ai
Author, You Have Already Been Replaced by AI · June 2, 2026
Host, AI Ready Podcast · 2.8M+ YouTube views
Founder, AI Law Tracker · ailawtracker.org
Facilitator, Ivy Tech AI Certification Course
FAQ
Questions CEOs
ask first.
What is an executive AI advisor?
An executive AI advisor works with CEOs and leadership teams on AI strategy, AI readiness, and the human-skill development that AI requires. Decision-grade work: what to build, who to develop, when to buy, how to measure. Different scope from AI development firms, who write software. Harrison Painter advises mid-market leadership teams on AI readiness through The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency framework.
How is an executive AI advisor different from an AI consulting firm?
AI consulting and AI development firms build software: custom models, chatbots, data pipelines, agent deployments. An executive AI advisor builds capability inside your leadership team: the skills, the operating picture, and the measurement system that lets your company decide what to build and what to skip. The two roles compound. Most CEOs need the advisor first.
What does an Indianapolis AI consultant do for mid-market companies?
An Indianapolis AI consultant working with mid-market companies (50 to 500 employees) typically delivers AI strategy assessments, executive AI advising, AI readiness measurement, and AI training. LaunchReady.ai provides this through The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency: a free assessment for individuals, a six-week engagement for leadership teams, and a 12-month Mastery Track for ongoing development. Indianapolis-based, serving Indiana and national clients.
Who advises Indiana CEOs on AI readiness?
Harrison Painter is the executive AI advisor working with Indiana CEOs and leadership teams on AI readiness. He is the founder of LaunchReady.ai, creator of The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency, host of the AI Ready Podcast, and creator of AI Law Tracker (the free Indiana AI legislation tracker at ailawtracker.org). Based in Indianapolis.
How much does executive AI advising cost?
Executive AI advising at LaunchReady starts free, with the 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment at assess.launchready.ai. The accessible entry is Built With You, a guided AI setup for owners and small teams, from $5,000 plus a monthly plan. For leadership teams, The 7 Levels Engagement runs six weeks ($19,500 Standard or $35,000 Enterprise per cohort) and The 7 Levels Mastery Track runs 12 months ($96,000 Standard or $180,000 Enterprise per year). AI Keynote Speaking starts at $5,000. Custom scopes are quoted in the proposal.
What is The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency?
The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency is a published framework by Harrison Painter that measures individual and team AI capability across seven roles grouped into four tiers. Foundational: Cadet (AI Aware) and Ensign (Prompt Engineer). Practitioner: Lieutenant (Critical Thinker) and Commander (Context Engineer). Builder: Captain (Design Thinker) and Admiral (Systems Integrator). Leader: Mission Director (AI Orchestrator).
What is LaunchReady.ai?
LaunchReady.ai is the AI Proficiency Standard, founded by Harrison Painter and based in Indianapolis (Fishers, Indiana). It publishes The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency framework and a free adaptive assessment. The accessible entry offer is Built With You, a guided AI setup for owners and small teams from $5,000. For leadership teams, The 7 Levels Engagement is a six-week cohort program that measures and develops team AI capability with a written capability audit at the end.
Who is Harrison Painter?
Harrison Painter is an Indianapolis-based executive AI advisor and the founder of LaunchReady.ai. He is the author of You Have Already Been Replaced by AI, host of the AI Ready Podcast (2.8M+ YouTube views), creator of AI Law Tracker at ailawtracker.org, and facilitator of Ivy Tech Community College's AI Certification course.
How do you measure AI readiness in a team?
AI readiness is measured against The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency framework using a free adaptive assessment at assess.launchready.ai. Each participant receives a level placement from 1 to 7 and a written next step. Teams running The 7 Levels Engagement take a pre-assessment and a post-assessment six weeks apart, producing a written capability audit that shows movement, not opinion.
What is The 7 Levels Engagement?
The 7 Levels Engagement is the leadership-team scale-up in the LaunchReady.ai ladder, above the Built With You entry offer: six weeks, cohort up to fifteen, remote by default. It includes a pre-engagement 7 Levels assessment, four live cohort sessions, a post-engagement reassessment, and a written capability audit report delivered at the end. Designed for leadership teams where AI readiness has become a board-level question.
Further.
Faster.
Book a free 20-minute call to get started, or take the free assessment first to see where you stand. Either way, you leave with a clear next step.
Built with you. You leave owning it. The assessment is free and takes 10 minutes.