CAIR
Community AI Readiness: a way for a rural community to see where it stands on AI, and a roadmap for what to do next.
What CAIR is
CAIR draws on publicly available data to measure whether a rural community is ready to use AI. It works the same way in any rural community. There are two parts.
The scores
27 measures across six areas, each scored 0 to 4 against a written standard. Every figure traces to a named public record and the date it was published.
The roadmap
A prioritized list of next steps: which gap to close first, who in the community can close it, and what it takes. A scorecard alone doesn’t tell you what to do. The roadmap does.
What it measures
Six areas, each answering one question about the community.
Skills & Workforce
Can residents train for and find work that uses AI?
Capital & Economic Development
Does outside money reach the community, and is any of it aimed at AI or data work?
Innovation & Ecosystem Assets
Is there a base of people and organizations doing technical work locally?
Connectivity & Infrastructure
Can households get a modern connection, and is it built for what comes next?
Community Digital Inclusion & Adoption
Do people actually use the connection, and is there help for those who don't?
Local Governance & Leadership
Have local leaders taken up the subject, and can residents find the records?
Our commitments
No rankings
Each community is measured against a standard of readiness, not against its neighbors.
The community decides what is published
Nothing is made public without the community’s approval.
An unknown is not a zero
Missing data is marked “not collected yet,” never scored low.
Being rural is not penalized
Small places have thinner public data and fewer institutions. CAIR does not deduct for size.
Working with us
Start a conversation
Tell us about your community and what you’re hoping to learn.
See your county’s federal picture
If it makes sense for both of us, we’ll walk you through what federal data already shows for your county, the same starting point as the live demo.
The full assessment
We score all 27 measures, gathering state, county, school and library records with the offices that hold them, and rank the next steps.
CAIR is built by the Center for Rural AI. We believe rural communities should lead, own and benefit from AI.