I was asked recently if Intranets still have a place in the age of AI? It’s a good question because for most of us the way we look for information is changing. How does this impact Intranets?

We are changing our behaviours. In the past most people were happy to fire up their favourite web browser and go a quick Google search to find what they were looking for. This is changing for a couple of reasons. AI generated results appear first on the search page often providing good enough information to stop the us from clicking a link. The evidence of this is clear in my own blog stats and those of many others who use websites to share content.

We are also swapping Google, Bing and other search engines for ChatGPT, Copilot and other AI tools. This means we are using the traditional tools less. This isn’t a new thing, remember Microsoft Encarta, TechNet and numerous other CD based information resources we used extensively in the 1990’s? They were replaced by Wikipedia, Stack Overflow and Google etc.

In our own workplaces, we still have a need for published information. A place to publish company news and events, leadership updates, information about initiatives, resources for people, policies, procedures and company knowledge. For many organisations some of this information never made it to the Intranet. It was locked away in documents, difficult to discover and gathering dust (digital dust is still dust).

I think there is still a place for Intranets and perhaps they are more important that ever. You see, AI tools need good quality content to provide good answers. The pace of changes means we need to communicate more, not less!

What is the role of an Intranet in the age of AI? I have a few thoughts:

• The source of truth for published content (that AI can consume).
• A consistent place to publish news and event information.
• A resource to help people find their way in the organisation.

In the modern workplace, we don’t want to break the flow of work for people. AI tools like Copilot allow us to do this. For example, if I am working on an employment offer for a new employee, Copilot can help ensure the offer is aligns with company policy. If I am writing an email to someone and need to include a reference recent management update, Copilot can help. In both cases, there is a caveat, Copilot needs good quality content to give you the best answer.

AI can also enhance the Intranet. The latest SharePoint Copilot features make it easier to write content and present it beautifully to our audience. Copilot Agents can unlock content buried in documents, unlocking knowledge and making it accessible. Here are a some features I like:

• Copilot in SharePoint for creating content in place, no cutting and pasting.
• SharePoint AI Sections suggest layouts for sections to make nice looking pages
• FAQ Webpart lets you create FAQ’s quickly from a source document
• Agent Link webpart, to open an Agent in the side panel with one click

Today’s Intranets are not just a repository for published content. They are the centre of the digital workplace. Intranets are where information is published for everyone to use, including our AI assistant. Now is the time to take advantage of the new features and capabilities, AI brings to your Intranet.