How Many AI Stars Do Businesses Earn?
The STAR Benchmark
STAR, the SmartMaya Tracker of AI Readiness, is a free AI health check that rates a business from 1 to 5 stars across six areas: strategy, data, skills, process, governance and culture. See how businesses like yours score, then get your own STAR rating in about 4 minutes.
How many stars do businesses earn?
The share of businesses at each STAR rating. Retake the assessment anytime to earn your next star.
Short answer: the star-by-star distribution needs enough completed assessments to publish honestly. We show it here as soon as there's a real sample to report — no placeholder numbers in the meantime.
Six areas: all businesses
Average stars for each area across every business reflected in the benchmark.
Published industry research baseline, blended with live SmartMaya AI assessment responses as they arrive.
What the STAR Benchmark shows
The most common gap
This is the area where businesses in the benchmark score lowest on average. Start here before adding more AI tools.
Where businesses are strongest
This is the highest-scoring area in the benchmark — a foundation to build the rest of a transformation plan on.
Industries at a glance
What stands out in each industry. Exact stars, all six areas, and peer rankings by industry are in the paid Industry Report.
Education
Strongest on Governance; weakest on Data.
Manufacturing
Strongest on Process; weakest on Culture.
Government
Strongest on Governance; weakest on Culture.
Media & Marketing
Strongest on Culture; weakest on Governance.
Logistics & Transport
Strongest on Process; weakest on Culture.
Real Estate & Construction
Strongest on Process; weakest on Data.
Hospitality & Travel
Strongest on Process; weakest on Data.
Professional Services
Strongest on Strategy; weakest on Governance.
Other
Strongest on Strategy; weakest on Data.
Nonprofit
Strongest on Governance; weakest on Data.
Food & Beverage
Strongest on Process; weakest on Data.
Technology
Strongest on Data; weakest on Strategy.
Healthcare
Strongest on Governance; weakest on Culture.
Retail & E-commerce
Strongest on Strategy; weakest on Data.
Financial Services
Strongest on Governance; weakest on Strategy.
Want your industry's numbers?
Get your free STAR rating first. Your report shows how you compare with your industry's average.
Get my STAR ratingFree · this page
Overall STAR results for all businesses, updated live.
Free · your report
Your STAR rating, six areas, archetype, path to your next star, and one headline industry comparison.
Paid · Industry Report
Your industry in full: stars for all six areas, peer rank, what top-rated businesses do differently.
How many stars is your business?
18 questions · about 4 minutes · free. See your stage, archetype and the first three steps.
Frequently asked questions
What does a 2-star AI business mean?
STAR (SmartMaya Tracker of AI Readiness) rates how ready your business is to use AI well, from 1 star (getting started) to 5 stars (AI-led). Two stars means you're using AI but the basics, like data in one place and a simple AI policy, aren't set up yet. Your report shows the three steps to your next star.
What are the five stages of AI readiness?
1 star: getting started · 2 stars: building foundations · 3 stars: running with AI · 4 stars: AI across the business · 5 stars: AI-led.
Can I see the numbers for my industry?
Your free STAR report compares you with your industry's average once enough businesses in it have responded. The paid Industry Report adds stars for all six areas and shows where you rank against peers.
How is the STAR Benchmark calculated?
Anonymised results from businesses that completed the SmartMaya AI Readiness Assessment, grouped by industry. Where an industry's sample is still small, values are estimates blended with a published research baseline and labelled as such.
Is my data shared?
No individual answers or company details are ever published. The benchmark shows anonymised totals only.
Methodology: 18-question assessment, scores 1–5 per area. Estimates combine early responses with a published research baseline and show a range rather than a single certified figure. Updated automatically.
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