Using AI Features

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This content applies solely to Contract Writing, which must be purchased separately from the Appian base platform. This content was written for Appian 26.9 and may not reflect the interfaces or functionality of other Appian versions.

AI features in Contract Writing

Contract Writing (CW) includes AI-powered capabilities that help you draft contract text, interact with documents, generate summaries, and ask questions across multiple documents. Contract Writing AI features use Appian's native AI capabilities and do not require external AI service configuration.

All Contract Writing AI features use GPT-5.4 as the default AI model. To learn how Appian delivers AI capabilities, see What is Artificial Intelligence?.

Contract Writing provides the following AI features:

AI contract text generation: Generate contract text from a prompt directly within the contract text editor.
AI line item generation: Generate contract line items from a prompt or a document, then review and refine them before adding them to a procurement record.
Document chat: Ask questions about the content of a single document in the contract file.
Document summarization: Generate concise summaries of documents in the contract file.
AI Chat with multiple documents: Ask questions across multiple documents returned from a Document Smart Search on the Smart Search tab.
AI Doc Builder: Generate supplemental procurement documents from master templates using AI-powered document generation.

Note: AI features in Contract Writing are controlled by toggles in the CW Settings Site and the Procurement AI Copilot settings. Contact your administrator if an AI feature is not available.

Generate contract text with AI in Contract Writing

Contract Writing provides AI assistance when adding contract text to solicitations, awards, and agreements. You can use a natural language prompt to generate draft text, then review and edit the output before saving.

To generate contract text with AI:

Navigate to the procurement record summary and select the Contract Text tab.
Select a contract text section.
Click +ADD TEXT.
Select Use AI assistance.
Enter a prompt describing the contract text you want to generate. For example, enter "Write a standard data rights clause for cybersecurity services."
Review the AI-generated text.
Edit the generated text as needed.
Click SAVE.

Note: AI-generated contract text is a starting point. Review and edit all generated content to verify accuracy and compliance with your organization's requirements before saving.

Generate line items with AI in Contract Writing

Contract Writing uses AI to generate contract line items from a natural language prompt or an uploaded document, reducing the manual effort of entering each line item by hand. AI line item generation is available on solicitations, awards, and agreements that are in Draft status.

After Contract Writing generates the line items, you review them on a dedicated review step. The review step includes an edit wizard that gives you access to the same editable fields as the standard Create Line Item wizard, adapts its fields to each line item type, and auto-calculates values, so you can refine classification codes, funding, and pricing before adding the line items to the procurement record. To edit a large set offline, export the generated line items to Excel and import the completed file back into the award.

Note: AI-generated line items are a starting point. Review each generated line item for accuracy before adding it to your contract. Contract Writing highlights line items with validation errors and prevents you from adding them until you resolve the errors.

For detailed instructions on generating and refining line items, see Generate line items with AI. For the Excel export and import workflow, see Export and import line items.

Chat with a document in Contract Writing

Contract Writing provides AI-powered document chat directly within the contract file. Document chat evaluates the content of a single document and answers questions based on what the document contains.

To chat with a document:

Navigate to the contract file of a solicitation, award, or agreement.
Select the document you want to chat with.
Click Chat to open the document chat interface.
Enter a question about the document content. For example, ask "What are the payment terms in this agreement?" or "Does this document include a force majeure clause?"
Review the AI-generated response.

Contract Writing document chat draws answers directly from the selected document, ensuring responses are specific to your procurement context rather than general knowledge.

Note: Document chat is available when the Document Chat toggle is active in the Procurement AI Copilot settings. Document chat applies to all solicitations and awards.

Summarize a document in Contract Writing

Contract Writing can generate concise summaries of documents in the contract file. Document summarization identifies and extracts the most critical information, key clauses, and main points from lengthy legal and contractual documents.

To summarize a document:

Navigate to the contract file of a solicitation, award, or agreement.
Select the document you want to summarize.
Click Summarize to generate a summary.
Review the AI-generated summary.

Contract Writing document summarization uses Appian's native AI capabilities to deliver accurate and efficient document analysis.

Note: Document summarization is available when the Document Summarizer toggle is active in the Procurement AI Copilot settings.

Chat with multiple documents using AI in Contract Writing

Contract Writing extends AI capabilities to support chatting with multiple documents at once from the Smart Search tab. AI Chat with multiple documents evaluates the content of all documents returned from a Document Smart Search to answer your question, and cites the specific documents each answer was drawn from.

To chat with multiple documents:

Select the Smart Search tab from the CW main navigation.
Select Documents from the search mode options.
Enter a natural language query to search for relevant documents.
Review the document results.
Click Ask AI to start a conversation across the returned documents.
Enter a question. For example, ask "What are the key performance metrics across these contracts?" or "Compare the indemnification clauses in these documents."
Review the AI response. Each response cites the specific document or documents that the answer was drawn from.

Prerequisites for AI Chat with multiple documents in Contract Writing

Contract Writing AI Chat with multiple documents requires the following:

AI Document Builder toggle: The AI Document Builder toggle must be active in the CW Settings Site.
Documents search mode: AI Chat is only available when the Documents search mode is selected on the Smart Search tab.
Document permissions: AI Chat respects existing document permissions and visibility. You can only chat with documents you have access to view.

For step-by-step instructions on finding documents with smart search, see Using Smart Search.

Create a document with AI Doc Builder in Contract Writing

Contract Writing integrates with AI Doc Builder to generate supplemental procurement documents from master templates. AI Doc Builder is available on solicitations, amendments, awards, modifications, and agreements.

To create a document with AI Doc Builder:

From the summary view of a procurement record, click the … menu and select Create Document.
In step one, select a published master template from the available options.
In step two, configure the document content based on the template.
In step three, review and finalize the document.
Click CREATE.

After creation, the document appears in the procurement record's contract file.

Note: At least one template must be published and tagged as contract-writing before the Create Document action is available. See Template management for details on creating and tagging templates.

For detailed instructions on all document creation options (templates, reference documents, and starting from scratch), see Managing Documents.

Use the Procurement AI Copilot in Contract Writing

The Procurement AI Copilot is a dedicated AI-powered knowledge assistant accessible from the CW main navigation. The Copilot answers questions about procurement policies, contract terms, compliance requirements, and system processes based on documents uploaded to your organization's knowledge base.

To use the Procurement AI Copilot:

Select the Procurement AI Copilot page from the CW main navigation.
Enter a question in the chat interface.
Review the AI-generated response. The Copilot draws answers from your organization's uploaded documents.

The Procurement AI Copilot also provides a dashboard with analytics on query resolution rates, frequently asked questions, and chat utilization metrics.

Note: The Procurement AI Copilot is an optional module that must be installed and configured separately. See Procurement AI Copilot Module Overview for installation and setup instructions.

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