70 Kansas City businesses ranked on AI adoption signals — 0 Innovators, 0 Movers, 70 still finding their lane.
Why this scorecard exists
Every Monday morning, The Kansas City Group ranks 70 prominent KC businesses on the visible AI adoption signals they're putting out into the world.
Six dimensions — each scored 0-10, weighted total 0-100: - Public announcements + press — weighted 20% - AI/ML job postings — weighted 15% - AI tooling visible on their website — weighted 15% - Social-media AI content cadence — weighted 10% - Leadership commentary on AI (interviews, panels, op-eds) — weighted 20% - Disclosed AI vendor partnerships — weighted 20%
Tiers: Innovator (75-100) · Mover (55-74) · Experimenter (30-54) · Observer (10-29) · Silent (0-9).
What this isn't: a judgment of which companies are secretly doing AI well behind closed doors. The scorecard measures public visibility of AI work — what a customer, journalist, or job-seeker would notice. Some of the silent companies may be world-class AI shops that just don't talk about it.
The full field — 70 businesses by tier
Observer (2): T-Mobile (legacy Sprint HQ) (16) · Hammerspace (15)
Silent (68): Hallmark Cards (5) · Russell Stover Chocolates (5) · Price Chopper (5) · C2FO (5) · EquipmentShare (5) · University Health (Truman Medical Centers) (5) · HCA Midwest Health (5) · Jackson County, MO (5) · Port KC (4) · Oracle Health (formerly Cerner) (3) · H&R Block (0) · Garmin (0) · Black & Veatch (0) · Burns & McDonnell (0) · AMC Theatres (0) · Commerce Bank (0) · Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que (0) · Q39 (0) · Arthur Bryant's Barbeque (0) · Gates Bar-B-Q (0) · Jack Stack Barbecue (0) · Stroud's (0) · Plaza III The Steakhouse (0) · The Town Company (0) · Westport Cafe & Bar (0) · Manifesto (0) · Cosentino's Markets (0) · Hen House Market (0) · Westlake Ace Hardware (0) · Hall's Kansas City (0) · Made in Kansas City (0) · Fleet Farm (0) · Helzberg Diamonds (0) · Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (0) · Union Station Kansas City (0) · Crown Center (0) · Worlds of Fun (0) · KC Streetcar Authority (0) · RideKC (KCATA) (0) · Folly Theater (0) · Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium (0) · BacklotCars (Openlane) (0) · InQuest (0) · Lockton (0) · Ascend Elements (0) · Dexios (0) · Zentech (0) · Digital Recognition Network (0) · Children's Mercy Kansas City (0) · Saint Luke's Health System (0) · University of Kansas Medical Center (0) · North Kansas City Hospital (0) · Olathe Health (AdventHealth) (0) · KC Care Health Center (0) · City of Kansas City, MO (0) · City of Olathe (0) · Johnson County, KS (0) · Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (0) · University of Missouri-Kansas City (0) · University of Kansas (0) · Rockhurst University (0) · Johnson County Community College (0) · Avila University (0) · Park University (0) · Metropolitan Community College (KC) (0) · Webster University, Kansas City (0) · Kansas City Public Library (0) · Notre Dame de Sion School (0)
Spotlight: Hammerspace
Hammerspace jumped +15 points this week to 15/100 — a meaningful move into stronger Observer territory.
Strongest signal: public announcements + press (6/10).
Recent signals: - TipRanks: Hammerspace Emphasizes Data Logistics as Strategic Lever in AI Race - TipRanks: Hammerspace Highlights AI Infrastructure Metrics to Optimize Token Economics - HTML METADATA: AI-focused keyword positioning on homepage copy (artificial intelligence, llm).
Web: hammerspace.com · Category: Tech Startups
Spotlight: T-Mobile (legacy Sprint HQ)
T-Mobile (legacy Sprint HQ) jumped +12 points this week to 16/100 — a meaningful move into stronger Observer territory.
Strongest signal: public announcements + press (8/10).
Recent signals: - The Fast Mode: T-Mobile Details AI & 5G Advanced Network Performance During Major U.S. Soccer Tournament - Stocktwits: DUOL Stock Tumbles On T-Mobile's AI Translation Feature — Retail Calls Selloff ‘Stupid’ - SDxCentral: T-Mobile US not seeing AI-derived traffic … yet
Web: www.t-mobile.com · Category: Corporate HQs
Spotlight: Price Chopper
Price Chopper jumped +5 points this week to 5/100 — a meaningful move into stronger Silent territory.
Most visible signal so far: AI tooling on their website (3/10) — but most dimensions are still light.
Recent signals: - CHATBOT FOOTPRINT: Live AI/interactive chatbot footprints discovered on site homepage (zendesk).
Web: www.mypricechopper.com · Category: Retail
Spotlight: University Health (Truman Medical Centers)
University Health (Truman Medical Centers) jumped +5 points this week to 5/100 — a meaningful move into stronger Silent territory.
Most visible signal so far: AI tooling on their website (3/10) — but most dimensions are still light.
Recent signals: - CHATBOT FOOTPRINT: Live AI/interactive chatbot footprints discovered on site homepage (livechat).
Web: www.universityhealthkc.org · Category: Healthcare
Spotlight: Jackson County, MO
Jackson County, MO jumped +5 points this week to 5/100 — a meaningful move into stronger Silent territory.
Most visible signal so far: AI tooling on their website (3/10) — but most dimensions are still light.
Recent signals: - CHATBOT FOOTPRINT: Live AI/interactive chatbot footprints discovered on site homepage (chatbot).
Web: www.jacksongov.org · Category: Government
Category leaders
- Corporate HQs: T-Mobile (legacy Sprint HQ) — 16/100 (Observer) ↑ +12 - Restaurants & Bars: Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que — 0/100 (Silent) — - Retail: Price Chopper — 5/100 (Silent) ↑ +5 - Local Services: Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts — 0/100 (Silent) — - Tech Startups: Hammerspace — 15/100 (Observer) ↑ +15 - Healthcare: University Health (Truman Medical Centers) — 5/100 (Silent) ↑ +5 - Government: Jackson County, MO — 5/100 (Silent) ↑ +5 - Education: University of Missouri-Kansas City — 0/100 (Silent) —