Box

Box AI for Document Intelligence

Ask questions, summarize content, and extract data from documents in Box

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How to use this guide

This guide is organized into four tabs: Overview covering what Box AI is and who it is for, How to Use Box AI with step-by-step instructions and prompting tips for documents and hubs, Security & Permissions covering how Box AI respects your organization's access controls, and Governance & Training with acceptable use guidance and free learning resources.

Content is relevant to anyone who stores, reviews, or works with documents in Box -- from individual contributors reviewing contracts and reports to administrators managing content governance.

Document Q&A Summarization Data extraction Metadata AI Box AI Studio Permission-aware No model training
Key fact: Box AI responses are based solely on the content inside the specific document or folder you are querying. Box does not use your organization's files to train AI models, and responses never include information from outside your permitted content scope. All existing Box permissions apply -- Box AI cannot surface content a user could not already access.

What is Box AI?

Box AI is a set of AI-powered capabilities built directly into Box -- the cloud content management platform. It allows users to ask questions about documents, generate summaries, extract structured data, and interact with content in natural language, all without leaving Box or copying content into a separate AI tool.

Unlike general-purpose AI chat tools, Box AI works only on the content you have permission to access in Box. It does not browse the internet, does not access other systems, and does not train on your documents. Every response is grounded in the specific file or collection of files you are querying.

Core capabilities

Q&A
Document Q&A
  • Ask any question about the content of a document
  • Get direct answers with references to source text
  • Follow up with additional questions in the same session
  • Works on PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets, and presentations
Sum
Summarization
  • Generate concise summaries of long documents instantly
  • Produce executive summaries, key takeaways, or action item lists
  • Summarize multiple documents in a folder or hub at once
  • Reduce review time for reports, contracts, and proposals
Ext
Metadata Extraction
  • Automatically extract structured fields from documents
  • Pull vendor names, dates, amounts, and terms from contracts
  • Populate Box metadata templates using AI-extracted values
  • Supports bulk extraction across large document sets
Hub
Box AI for Hubs
  • Query across all documents in a Box Hub in one conversation
  • Great for policy libraries, project folders, and knowledge bases
  • Ask cross-document questions: "What do these contracts have in common?"
  • Respects per-file and per-folder permissions within the hub

Who this guide is for

RolePrimary use of Box AI
Knowledge workers / staffQ&A and summarization of reports, policies, and meeting notes
Contract & legal reviewersExtract key terms, obligations, and dates from contracts
Project managersSummarize project documents, status reports, and stakeholder materials
AnalystsExtract data from structured documents and populate metadata for search
IT / content adminsConfigure Box AI Studio, manage metadata templates, govern AI usage

What you will be able to do

💬
Ask plain-English questions about any document you have access to in Box and get direct, cited answers
📋
Generate instant summaries, key takeaways, and action item lists from long reports and contracts
🗂
Extract structured data fields from documents and populate Box metadata templates automatically
🔍
Query across an entire Box Hub to find patterns, comparisons, or answers that span multiple files
🔐
Understand how Box AI respects your organization's existing permission structure and data boundaries

What Box AI does NOT do

  • Box AI does not search the internet or access content outside Box
  • Box AI does not access files or folders you do not have permission to view
  • Box AI does not store your prompts or use your content to train underlying AI models
  • Box AI does not take actions -- it only reads and responds; it cannot move, edit, delete, or share files
  • Box AI does not replace human review -- always verify AI-generated summaries and extractions for accuracy
Supported file types: Box AI works with PDFs, Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx), plain text, and most other common document formats. Very large files or heavily image-based PDFs (scanned without OCR) may return limited results.

Using Box AI on a single document

Step by step

  1. Open any document in Box (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
  2. Click the Box AI button in the document preview toolbar (looks like a sparkle or AI icon)
  3. The Box AI panel opens on the right side of the preview
  4. Type your question or select a suggested prompt (Summarize, Key takeaways, etc.)
  5. Review the response -- Box AI cites the relevant section so you can verify
  6. Follow up with additional questions in the same panel session

Prompting tips for documents

Box AI responds best to specific, direct questions. The more context you give, the more useful the answer.

Summarization
"Summarize this document in 5 bullet points, focusing on the key decisions and next steps."
Contract review
"What is the contract start date, end date, and total value? List any termination clauses."
Policy Q&A
"What does this policy say about data retention for emails? Are there any exceptions listed?"
Report analysis
"What are the top 3 risks identified in this report? What mitigation steps are recommended?"
Action items
"List all action items from this meeting notes document, including who is responsible and any deadlines mentioned."

Good habits when using Box AI on documents

  • Always verify the response against the source document -- especially for dates, numbers, and obligations
  • Use Box AI as a first-pass review tool, not a replacement for subject matter expert review
  • If the document is a scanned PDF without OCR text, Box AI may not be able to read it -- convert to searchable PDF first
  • For very large documents, Box AI may summarize in sections -- ask follow-up questions for specific areas

Using Box AI on Hubs and folders

Box AI for Hubs lets you query across multiple documents at once -- useful for policy libraries, project archives, and document collections.

Step by step

  1. Open a Box Hub or navigate to a folder in Box
  2. Click the Box AI button in the Hub or folder toolbar
  3. Ask a question that spans the documents in the collection
  4. Box AI searches across all files you have permission to access within that scope
  5. Review responses with citations showing which documents the answer came from

Prompting tips for hubs and folders

Cross-document comparison
"Which of these contracts have a renewal option? List the contract names and their renewal terms."
Policy library
"What does our current policy say about remote work? Is there anything about travel reimbursement?"
Project status
"Based on the project documents in this folder, what are the current open risks and who owns them?"

Metadata AI and extraction

Box AI can automatically populate metadata fields on documents -- useful for organizing large document libraries and making content searchable by specific attributes.

How metadata extraction works

  1. Your admin creates a metadata template with fields like "Vendor Name," "Contract Value," "Expiration Date"
  2. When you apply the template to a document, Box AI reads the file and suggests values for each field
  3. You review and confirm the suggested values before saving
  4. Confirmed metadata makes documents searchable and reportable across the entire repository

Common extraction use cases

Document typeFields to extract
ContractsVendor, value, start date, end date, renewal clause, governing law
InvoicesVendor, invoice number, amount, due date, line items
Project reportsProject name, date, status, risks, key milestones
Meeting notesDate, attendees, decisions, action items, next meeting date

How Box AI respects permissions

Box AI is permission-aware by design. It operates entirely within Box's existing access control framework. If a user cannot view a file in Box, Box AI cannot return information from that file either -- regardless of how the question is phrased.

Key permission principles

  • Enforced Box AI only surfaces content from files and folders the querying user already has explicit access to
  • Enforced Folder-level and file-level sharing restrictions are fully respected by Box AI responses
  • Enforced External collaboration restrictions (e.g., no sharing outside your domain) apply to Box AI outputs
  • Note If a hub contains files from multiple access levels, Box AI will only draw from files the user can access -- it will not indicate that restricted files exist

Data privacy commitments

  • Box does not use your organization's content to train AI models
  • Box AI interactions are governed by your organization's Box agreement and data processing addendum
  • Prompts and responses are not stored beyond the current session for use in training
  • Box AI processes content within the security boundary of your Box tenant

Handling sensitive content

  • Box AI can read documents that contain sensitive or regulated data -- this is expected and appropriate for your organization's approved use cases
  • Do not copy Box AI responses out of Box and paste them into unapproved external tools or channels
  • Follow your organization's data classification rules when sharing Box AI-generated summaries or extractions
  • If you are unsure whether a document or collection is appropriate to query with Box AI, consult your IT or compliance team

Box AI Studio (admin)

Box AI Studio is the admin configuration interface for Box AI. IT and content administrators use it to customize how Box AI behaves for their organization.

What admins can configure

  • Custom prompts and suggested questions: Define preset questions that appear when users open Box AI on a document -- useful for standardizing review workflows
  • Metadata template integration: Configure which metadata templates Box AI should populate automatically when files are uploaded or processed
  • Scope controls: Limit which content types, folders, or user groups can use Box AI features
  • AI model selection: In some configurations, admins can choose which underlying AI model powers Box AI responses (Box partners with multiple providers)
  • Usage reporting: Monitor how Box AI is being used across the organization

Access and licensing

FeatureAvailability
Box AI Q&A and summarizationIncluded in Business Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus plans
Box AI for Hubs (multi-doc)Enterprise and Enterprise Plus
Metadata AI (extraction)Enterprise Plus or AI add-on
Box AI Studio (admin config)Enterprise Plus or AI add-on

Confirm your organization's Box plan and AI feature entitlements with your Box administrator or IT team before building workflows that depend on specific Box AI capabilities.

For the ITD Box Team: For questions about Box AI configuration, metadata templates, or enabled features within your organization's Box environment, contact the ITD Box Team for your org-specific guidance.

Acceptable use guidance

Box AI is a document intelligence tool -- it reads, summarizes, and extracts. The following guidelines help ensure it is used safely and appropriately within your organization.

Do

  • Use Box AI to speed up review of long documents, contracts, and reports
  • Verify Box AI responses against the source document before acting on them
  • Use metadata extraction to improve document organization and searchability
  • Follow your organization's data classification rules when sharing AI-generated content
  • Report unexpected or inaccurate AI responses to your IT or content governance team

Do not

  • Treat Box AI responses as a substitute for legal, compliance, or subject matter expert review
  • Copy Box AI outputs into external, unapproved AI tools or public platforms
  • Attempt to use Box AI to access content you would not normally be permitted to see
  • Share Box AI-generated extracts of sensitive documents with parties who should not have access to the underlying content

When results seem wrong

  • Box AI may miss context in very large, complex, or poorly structured documents -- ask more specific questions
  • Scanned PDFs without OCR text layers may return empty or inaccurate results -- convert to searchable PDF
  • If the file format is unsupported, Box will indicate this in the AI panel
  • Always treat the source document as the authoritative record

Key reminders

✅
Permission-aware: Box AI cannot access files you cannot see -- your access controls are always enforced
✅
No model training: Box does not use your organization's content to train AI models
✅
Scoped to Box: Box AI only reads content from Box -- it does not browse the internet or access other systems
⚠️
Verify outputs: Always check AI-generated summaries and extractions against the source document before relying on them
⚠️
Not a legal tool: Box AI responses are not legal advice, compliance determinations, or approved organizational positions
Getting Started -- Free Resources

Official Box resources to learn how to use Box AI features in your day-to-day work.

Box Support -- Official Guide -- Getting Started Box AI Overview Official Box support article covering what Box AI is, which features are available, and how to start using Q&A and summarization on documents. Always current. Read on Box Support --> Box Support -- Official How-to Guide Using Box AI to Answer Questions About a Document Step-by-step guide to opening Box AI on a file, asking questions, reviewing citations, and following up. The core user-facing workflow explained clearly. Read on Box Support --> Box.com -- Product Page Product Overview + Demo Box AI -- Product Overview and Demos Box's official product page for Box AI. Includes capability overviews, demo videos, and information on the full Box AI product suite including AI Studio and Metadata AI. Explore on Box.com --> Box -- YouTube Video Channel -- All Levels Box Official YouTube Channel Official Box YouTube channel with product demos, how-to videos, and webinar recordings covering Box AI features, metadata, and admin configuration. Watch on YouTube -->
Admin and Advanced -- Free Resources

Resources for IT admins, content administrators, and advanced users configuring Box AI Studio and metadata extraction.

Box Support -- Official Admin Guide Box AI Studio Overview Official guide for administrators covering Box AI Studio setup, custom prompt configuration, metadata template integration, and scope controls. Read on Box Support --> Box Support -- Official Admin Guide -- Metadata AI Box AI for Metadata How to use Box AI to automatically populate metadata templates from document content. Covers template setup, extraction configuration, and bulk processing. Read on Box Support --> Box Developer Docs API Reference -- Developers Box AI API Reference For developers integrating Box AI into custom applications. Covers the AI Ask and AI Text Gen API endpoints, authentication, and request/response schemas. Open Developer Docs --> Box Support Center Reference -- Always Current Box Help Center The authoritative support center for all Box features. Search for Box AI, metadata, sharing, permissions, and admin configuration guides. Always up to date. Open Box Help Center -->

Box AI features, availability, and licensing may change as Box updates its platform. Always verify current feature entitlements with your Box administrator and confirm the latest guidance at support.box.com. Follow your organization's data classification and acceptable use policies for all Box AI interactions.

This guide is for training and orientation only. Always verify AI-generated outputs against source documents and follow your organization's data governance and acceptable use policies.