Page AI summary settings

Overview

Page AI summaries used to be controlled in one place, at the application level. It was on for everything or off for everything, which left no room for a site that wanted summaries on general pages but not on policy documents, or an author who wanted one particular page left alone.

Control now sits at three levels. The application setting governs the whole organization, site managers decide what applies to their site, and authors decide page by page. Each level narrows what the level above it allows.

The most important thing to know: new sites start with AI summaries turned off, while sites and content that already existed keep them on. If you create a site and summaries do not appear, that is the default rather than a fault.

The three levels of control

Each level can only narrow what the level above allows. A site manager cannot enable summaries that the app setting has turned off, and an author cannot enable a summary the site setting does not permit.

App level

Go to Manage application > AI controls and find AI Summary for content.

This is the master switch. When it is off, AI summaries are disabled everywhere, and the site and page controls are hidden so nobody configures a setting that cannot take effect.

Site level

Site managers control whether summaries are allowed for pages on their site, with two separate settings:

• Standard pages, meaning pages that are not must-reads

• Must-read pages

They are independent. A site can allow summaries on standard pages while keeping them off must-read pages, which is a common choice when must-reads carry policy or compliance content that people are expected to read in full.

These settings appear only when the app-level setting is on.

Page level

Authors turn Generate AI summary on or off for an individual page in the page settings panel. It is available in both the classic editor and the new editor.

The page setting appears only when the site allows summaries for that page type. If the site permits summaries on standard pages but not must-read pages, an author working on a must-read will not see the option.

When a summary appears

A summary is generated and displayed only when all three levels allow it: the app setting, the site setting for that page type, and the page setting.

If any one of them is off, no summary appears.

What happens when a level is turned off

Turning off a higher level has two effects:

• The settings below it are hidden. This keeps people from configuring something that cannot take effect.

• Summaries stop appearing. No new summaries generate, and existing summaries are no longer displayed on web or mobile.

The page itself is unaffected. Only the summary stops appearing.

Defaults for existing and new sites

This is worth reading twice, because the two behave differently.

Sites and content that existed before this change carry on as they did, with summaries on. New sites start with summaries off, and a site manager turns them on for the page types they want. New pages start with the page setting off.

The practical effect is that summaries do not silently spread to new sites. Someone chooses.

Converting a page between standard and must-read

When a page changes from standard to must-read, or from must-read to standard, the site-level permission is checked again for the new page type before a summary is generated or shown.

So a standard page with a summary that becomes a must-read on a site where must-read summaries are not allowed will stop showing its summary. Converting it back restores it, provided the page setting is still on.

Mobile

The same rules apply on iOS and Android. A page that does not show a summary on the web will not show one on mobile.

Troubleshooting

A summary is not appearing on a page

• What happened: One of the three levels is turned off. All three have to allow it.

• What to do: Check the page setting first, then the site setting for that page type, then the app setting. The first one that is off is the reason.

A new site has no summaries anywhere

• What happened: New sites start with summaries off for both page types.

• What to do: A site manager turns them on for standard pages, must-read pages, or both.

The site-level settings are not visible

• What happened: The app-level setting is off, so the settings below it are hidden.

• What to do: Ask an app manager to check AI Summary for content under Manage Application > AI controls.

An author cannot find Generate AI summary in page settings

• What happened: The site does not allow summaries for that page type. A must-read page will not show the option if the site permits summaries on standard pages only.

• What to do: Check the site setting for that page type.

A summary disappeared after a page became a must-read

• What happened: The site-level permission is checked again for the new page type, and must-read summaries are not allowed on that site.

• What to do: Allow summaries for must-read pages in the site settings, or leave the page as a standard page.

Summaries appear on older sites but not on newly created ones

• What happened: The defaults differ. Existing sites carry summaries on, new sites start with them off.

• What to do: Turn the site settings on for each new site that wants summaries.

A summary shows on the web but not on mobile

• What happened: The rules are the same on both, so the page settings should match.

• What to do: Reload the page on mobile. If it persists, confirm the page has been published since the settings were changed.

Frequently asked questions

Do all three levels have to be on? Yes. A summary appears only when the app, site, and page settings all allow it.

Can a site manager turn on summaries when the app setting is off? No. The site settings are hidden when the app setting is off.

Can a site allow summaries on standard pages but not on must-reads? Yes. The two are controlled separately.

Will summaries appear automatically on a site we just created? No. New sites start with summaries off for both page types.

Did anything change for our existing sites? No. Sites and content that existed before keep summaries on.

What happens to a summary if I convert a page to a must-read? The site permission for must-read pages is checked. If the site does not allow them, the summary stops appearing.

Are summaries deleted when a setting is turned off? The summary stops being displayed and no new one generates. Turning the settings back on restores the behavior.

Do these settings apply on mobile? Yes. The same rules apply on iOS and Android.

Does turning off a summary change the page? No. Only the summary stops appearing. The page and its content are unaffected.