Answers to the questions we hear most.

AWG is a certification body and partner network. We don't deliver implementation work directly — vetted partners do that. AWG operates the standard, the credentials, and the matchmaking layer between SMBs and partners.

What AWG runs:

• The three-step assessment — Environmental, Leadership Awareness, and Organizational Readiness. Free for any SMB.
• Three certification tiers — AI Aware (free), AI Aligned ($2,750/yr), and AI Ambassador ($2,750/yr). Each comes with concrete commitments and an on-chain credential for the paid tiers.
• Continuous Monitoring — annual engagement that turns your data into insights and benchmarks (bundled into the certification fee).
• Endorsed Partner Network — Certified and Strategic Partners that AWG has vetted against the workforce-impact rubric. Implementation work happens here, not at AWG.
• Matchmaking — a free 30-minute call where AWG helps you understand your results and gets you matched with the right partner from the network.
• Grants & Incentives — automated identification for Aligned and Ambassador SMBs; active coordination + hands-on application support available.

The AWG Certification Process is designed to answer two core questions:

Is this organization actually prepared to benefit from AI—not just experiment with it?
Is this organization committed to accomplishing that benefit in a socially-responsible manner?

The certification:

• Provides a structured, objective evaluation of AI readiness
• Creates clarity for leadership on where to invest (and where not to)
• Signals to partners, customers, and talent that the organization is approaching AI responsibly and strategically

At paid tiers (Aligned and Ambassador) certification also includes:

• An on-chain credential issued on Polygon, verifiable at /verify/[id]
• Annual Continuous Monitoring — re-measure, peer-benchmark, recommend next steps
• Automated grants and incentives identification
• Access to the matchmaking and partner network for implementation

It's not a badge—it's a framework for real adoption and measurable outcomes.

Because the incentives matter.

AWG operates as a Public-Benefit Corporation (PBC). The PBC structure legally binds us to a public-benefit purpose alongside ordinary commercial obligations — our purpose is workforce-aligned AI adoption.

This structure lets us:

• Operate the certification standard, the partner network, and the matchmaking marketplace as a sustainable business
• Stay accountable to long-term workforce impact and economic balance as part of our charter, not as a side commitment
• Scale revenue with partner count, not consultant count — so growth doesn't consume our bandwidth on per-client work

Most AI adoption efforts optimize only for efficiency and profit. AWG is designed to ensure:

• Businesses win
• Workers aren't left behind
• Local economies remain sustainable

We believe AI will fundamentally reshape:

• How work is performed
• How organizations are structured
• How value is created and distributed

The risk is not AI itself; it's misaligned incentives during adoption. We imagine a future of optimism and abundance, if society can get the transition right.

Our perspective:

• AI will drive massive efficiency gains
• Small, agile organizations will have an advantage over large, rigid ones
• Traditional SaaS models will be disrupted by AI-driven micro-solutions
• The gap between companies that adopt AI well and those that don't will widen quickly

The key challenge:

Ensuring that efficiency gains don't come at the expense of workforce stability and long-term economic health

That's where alignment matters.

There are several ways to support AWG:

• Become certified — Adopt AI responsibly within your organization
• Refer other organizations — Especially small and mid-sized businesses that could benefit from guidance
• Partner with AWG — Technology providers, consultants, and ecosystem partners
• Contribute to workforce alignment initiatives (including future programs like shared upside / alignment funds)
• Advocate for responsible AI adoption — Internally and across your network

We're not a consulting firm at all. We're a certification body and partner network. We define the standard. Our endorsed partners deliver the work.

That structural separation is on purpose. A firm that runs your assessment andsells you the implementation has an obvious conflict — they're always going to recommend more services from themselves. AWG only ever sells the rubric, the credential, and the matchmaking. Implementation revenue flows to vetted partners, not to us.

What that gets you:

• An assessment that's honest about what you actually need (since AWG isn't selling you the “more”)
• A partner who's accountable to the AWG framework, not just to closing the deal
• Outcome reporting from the partner back to AWG — the only longitudinal dataset on what AI adoption actually works for SMBs

No.

AWG is designed for organizations that:

• Don't have deep AI expertise
• Don't know where to start
• Want to avoid wasting time and money on the wrong initiatives

We translate AI into:

• Business decisions
• Operational improvements
• Clear next steps

The AWG side is fast on purpose:

• Self-serve assessment: ~30-60 minutes total across the three steps
• AI Aware credential: issued on assessment completion
• AI Aligned / Ambassador certification: 2-4 weeks (commitment signing, evidence review, credential issuance)
• Matchmaking call: 30 minutes, scheduled when you're ready
• Continuous Monitoring (annual): ~2-4 hours of company time over a 2-week window for Aligned; ~6-8 hours over 4 weeks for Ambassador

Implementation timelines depend on the partner you select — typically 4-12 weeks for a focused initiative.

Yes. That is going to happen with or without AWG.

And the traditional pain that causes employees and local economies is the problem we are trying to solve.

AWG helps organizations:

• Use AI to augment employees, not just replace them
• Reallocate time toward higher-value work
• Identify areas where workforce transitions need to be managed intentionally

We focus on:

Sustainable efficiency, not short-term cost cutting at the expense of long-term capability

Primarily:

• Small to mid-sized businesses
• Organizations that need to move quickly but don't have large budgets
• Companies that want to compete with larger players using AI

We also work with:

• Larger organizations looking to move more strategically and responsibly

Because the mission requires adoption at scale.

If only large companies adopt AI effectively:

• The competitive gap widens
• Local economies weaken
• Workforce disruption accelerates

AWG's model is designed to:

• Lower the barrier to entry
• Help more organizations adopt AI responsibly
• Create long-term value through aligned growth

Two distinct sets of outcomes — what AWG hands you, and what your chosen partner delivers.

What AWG hands you:

• A clear, scored picture of your AI readiness across three pillars (Environmental, Leadership Awareness, Organizational Readiness)
• A workforce-aligned credential at the tier you earn
• A short list of vetted partners matched to your scope, industry, and region
• Annual Continuous Monitoring with year-over-year insights and benchmarks (paid tiers)
• Ongoing visibility into grants and incentives you qualify for (paid tiers)

What your chosen partner will deliver:

• A scoped engagement to address the gaps the assessment surfaced
• A workforce-impact disclosure on every recommendation that affects roles
• Evidence-grounded outcomes the partner reports back to AWG (which feeds your next Continuous Monitoring cycle)

You — and your employees — move from uncertainty to informed action, and from fear of a rapidly changing world to optimism and abundance.

Three things, and only three:

• Continuous Monitoring — the annual engagement that keeps your credential valid and turns your data into insights. Bundled into the certification fee.
• General marketing & presentations— broad, not per-client. AWG doesn't do bespoke client-specific marketing or strategy work.
• Grants & incentives — automated identification for Aligned and Ambassador SMBs (bundled), plus active coordination for Ambassador and hands-on application support (hourly).

Everything else — implementation, AI integration, workforce transition support, automation rollouts — is delivered by AWG-endorsed partners.