Development of an AI Maturity Model for Human-Centric Manufacturing SMEs in Industry 5.0.

The transition from Industry 4.0 to the more human-centered paradigm of Industry 5.0 (I5.0) has introduced new challenges in the manufacturing sector, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies hold significant potential to support this transformation. This paper presents a novel AI Maturity Model that enables SMEs to assess and guide the integration of artificial intelligence in ways that are transparent, fair, collaborative and aligned with human values. The model is structured around three key dimensions: the level of adoptability of AI tools, their capacity to address SME specific challenges, and their degree of alignment with human centric principles. Validation through a qualitative and quantitative study with SME practitioners confirmed its relevance and usability, with 87.5 percent of participants indicating willingness to apply it as a practical guide for AI tool selection. Moreover the findings highlight that natural language processing was perceived as the most accessible and strongly supportive of explainability, fairness and workforce empowerment, while computer vision was considered effective in solving production issues and improving quality.