Smart Intranets: combining SharePoint Online and AI for the digital workplace

When it comes to corporate intranet, SharePoint Online has been the benchmark for years. However, by 2025, it is no longer sufficient to offer a news board or a document repository: companies demand tools that simplify daily work, anticipate user needs, and enhance productivity.

This is where the combination of SharePoint Online with AI comes into play.

In this article, we will explore what it means to create a smart intranet, which technologies to use, what the concrete benefits are, and how to initiate a sustainable digital transformation journey.

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From Static Intranet to Intelligent Intranet

First-generation intranets were essentially internal websites, featuring company news and file repositories.
Today we talk about smart intranets, characterized by:

• Semantic search: users find information with natural language questions.
• Dynamic personalization: content displayed based on role, department, or interests.
• Document automation: processes such as approvals, reviews, and archiving managed automatically.
• AI assistance: integrated chatbots and Copilot that guide the user through business workflows.

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Why SharePoint Online is the Ideal Foundation

SharePoint Online is an integral part of Microsoft 365 and is already connected to Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and especially to Microsoft Graph.
This makes it the natural starting point for a smart intranet because:

• It is scalable and always up to date.
• It is secure and compliant with regulations (GDPR, DORA, NIS2).
• It has a development ecosystem (SPFx, Power Platform) that allows for targeted customizations.

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AI and Intranet: Concrete Use Cases

1. Semantic Search

With the integration of Microsoft Search + AI, users can ask:

“Show me the updated vacation policy for 2025”
and get an immediate response, without navigating through folders.

2. Business Chatbots

A chatbot integrated into SharePoint can answer HR FAQs, retrieve documents from libraries, open IT tickets, or connect to ERP systems. With a RAG approach and governance, it becomes a reliable assistant.

3. Copilot for SharePoint

Copilot can generate content for intranet pages, create FAQs from documents, and suggest dynamic links. HR users, for example, can prepare internal communications in just a few minutes.

4. Document Automation

Thanks to Power Automate + AI Builder, uploaded documents can be automatically analyzed, classified, and sorted. For example: a contract is recognized, validated, and stored in the correct library.

5. Intelligent Analytics

With Power BI and Graph Data Connect, managers can gain insights into intranet usage: which content is being searched, which processes take the most time, and where to intervene to improve the user experience.

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Benefits for the Company

• Reduction of IT and HR tickets: thanks to chatbots and dynamic FAQs.
• Increased productivity: less time wasted searching for documents.
• Higher adoption: an intranet that “works” is used more.
• Regulatory compliance: automation of document processes and audit tracking.
• Employee engagement: personalized content and more intuitive tools.

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Best practices for building a smart intranet

1. Start with listening: gather feedback from users to understand real needs.
2. Clear governance: define who manages content, permissions, and automations.
3. Accessibility: comply with WCAG 2.1 AA in every component, to avoid excluding anyone.
4. Gradual AI integration: introduce Copilot and chatbots in small use cases, measure results, scale.
5. KPI and measurement: continuously monitor impact (e.g., average time to find documents).

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Practical case: intelligent intranet in an insurance group

A European insurance group transformed its SharePoint intranet in three steps:

• Step 1: implementation of semantic search on regulatory documents.
• Step 2: integration of HR chatbot in SharePoint and Teams.
• Step 3: automation of approval workflows with Power Automate + AI Builder.

Results:

• Reduction of 40% in manual requests to the HR department.
• Greater compliance in document processes.
• Increase in intranet usage by 60% in six months.

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Conclusion

Smart intranets are not a futuristic dream: they are already a reality thanks to the combination of SharePoint Online and AI.
For companies, this means transitioning from a “static” tool to a dynamic hub that supports productivity, compliance, and innovation.

Those who can adopt this approach will have a clear competitive advantage: more satisfied employees, faster processes, and stronger governance.

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➡️ Do you want to build your smart intranet with SharePoint and AI? Contact me to find out how to get started.