Trust Stack · Layer 05
Evidence
Keep the receipts
What this layer means
Evidence is about measurement. Tracking what you spend on AI tools, what you get back, and what goes wrong. It turns "we think AI is helping" into "AI saved us 15 hours per week and cost €40 per month."
For SMEs, that means a simple way to track AI tool costs and time saved on specific tasks, plus a log of any AI-related incidents or errors.
Why SMEs should care
- You can't manage what you don't measure, and AI spend creeps up quickly
- Having evidence makes it easier to justify further investment
- If a client asks "how is AI helping us?", you should have an answer
- Tracking incidents helps you improve your AI practices over time
Common failure patterns
- Multiple AI subscriptions with no one tracking the total cost
- No measurement of time saved or value created by AI tools
- No record of AI errors or incidents to learn from
- Leadership has no visibility into what AI is actually doing for the business
Questions leaders should ask
- How much are we spending on AI tools every month?
- Can we point to specific tasks where AI has saved measurable time?
- Do we have a log of AI-related errors or incidents?
- What would we show a client, or the bank, to prove AI is paying off?
Start here
A practical first action
List every AI tool subscription your business pays for. Note the monthly cost, who uses it, and what they use it for. Then ask each user: "What has this tool saved you this month?" Write down the answers. You now have the beginning of an evidence base.
How does your business score on Evidence?
The AI Readiness Scorecard measures your position across all five Trust Stack layers in about ten minutes.
Start with a thirty-minute conversation
Book a free consultation. We map your specific challenges and identify practical next steps. No sales pressure, just useful advice.