Question 1

Why do intranet AI demos look better than real deployments?

Accepted Answer

Demos use curated content, a single admin-level account, and questions the vendor already knows the system can answer. Real deployments involve mixed permissions, policies that vary by country, and topics where no approved source exists. The gap shows up in how AI handles restricted content, missing information, and employees whose context differs from the demo profile.

Question 2

What are the three essential intranet AI capabilities?

Accepted Answer

Permission handling, knowledge limits, and employee context. Permission handling means AI applies the same access controls as the underlying content across answers, citations, and follow-ups. Knowledge limits mean AI states when it cannot find a reliable source rather than inventing one. Employee context means answers reflect role, location, language, and contract type.

Question 3

How do you test whether intranet AI respects permissions?

Accepted Answer

Use two accounts, one with access to a restricted document and one without. Ask the same direct question from each, then approach the topic indirectly from the unrestricted account. Check the answer, the citations, the follow-up suggestions, and the related content. A pass means no restricted detail and no clue that the document exists at all.

Question 4

What should an intranet AI evaluation include?

Accepted Answer

Questions taken from real search logs, service desk tickets, and recurring HR queries. Several employee profiles with meaningfully different permissions, locations, and contract types. A record of the full answer, the cited sources, and the suggested next steps. Repeat the important questions with different wording, then ask the content owner, security lead, or HR specialist to verify each result.

Question 5

What should organizations evaluate beyond these three intranet AI capabilities?

Accepted Answer

Retrieval quality, citation accuracy, content freshness, accessibility, integrations, proactive communication, and auditability. On the administration side, look at whether AI supports content creation, targeting, governance, and measurement for comms, HR, and IT teams. Together these determine whether AI improves the daily employee experience and the work of running it.

AI Intranet

3 essential intranet AI capabilities every organization should expect