For years, AI was treated as an experiment, something to explore in pilots or innovation labs. Useful, perhaps, but not yet essential. That mindset, though, is shifting quickly.
According to Gartner, by 2026 more than 80% of enterprises will be using generative AI (GenAI) APIs or models and/or deploying Gen AI-enabled applications, up from under 5% in 2023. AI has evolved from a pilot into an indispensable teammate that can transform how businesses operate.
One area where we are seeing this evolution with our CTG clients is document management. Enterprises now rely on AI to interpret data, classify it, extract critical information, and route documents automatically to the right systems or teams. Instead of spending hours sorting PDFs, updating records, or manually checking for missing data, employees can shift their energy toward higher-value analysis and data-informed decision making.
AI-driven tools support features such as intelligent search, automated metadata tagging, real-time summarization, and compliance-friendly audit trails. These capabilities show why AI is no longer optional; it’s becoming a critical element of modern document management for organizations that want to stay competitive and compliant.
AI as the “Artificial Intern”
In one of our recent webinars, Sandra Bembenek, CEO of CTG partner Strickland Solutions, describes AI as an artificial intern: a digital assistant that reads through a document, interprets what it’s about, and applies the right metadata automatically. This metaphor captures AI’s new role perfectly—it’s not about replacing expertise or judgment; it’s about extending human capacity.
Instead of employees spending 5 to 10 minutes tagging each document, AI completes the task in seconds, without fatigue or inconsistency. Professionals can then focus their time on higher-value responsibilities such as compliance, governance, and process improvement while the AI “intern” handles time-consuming, repetitive, often still highly manual tasks.
This “artificial intern” concept isn’t just theoretical. It’s already being put to work in modern document management platforms, where AI moves beyond assistance and into execution. The most effective solutions focus on one critical capability: understanding documents well enough to structure, govern, and route them automatically.
Operationalizing the Intern: M-Files Aino
In leading document management platforms, like M-Files, this shift from idea to implementation is already visible. Aino by M-Files is an AI-powered capability that reads and understands documents, then automatically applies meaningful metadata. Instead of relying on employees to manually classify files, Aino identifies details like project IDs, client names, dates, or document types and assigns them consistently.
The benefits—documented in Forrester Consulting’s The 2023 Total Economic Impact of M-Files—are immediate:
- Faster document filing: Automated tagging dramatically reduces manual effort, delivering up to 65% faster document filing.
- Better accuracy: AI applies consistent logic, minimizing human error.
- Enhanced security and compliance: Once metadata is in place, permissions are applied and retention policies trigger automatically.
- Improved workflows: Automated triggers contribute to up to 70% better workflow efficiency.
- Strategic productivity: Teams spend 50% less time searching for information, giving them more time for insight, oversight, and value creation.
Aino's automation improves speed and intelligence. With structured metadata applied from the start, organizations can easily find and work with content across platforms like M-Files, SharePoint, and Microsoft 365. With structured metadata applied from the start, organizations don’t just work faster; they create the foundation that other AI tools depend on to deliver meaningful insights.
Insight at Scale: Aino and Microsoft Copilot
Once information is structured and governed correctly, the question becomes how employees interact with it day to day. This is where generative AI tools like Microsoft Copilot enter the picture—not to manage documents, but to help people extract insight and context from them. Enterprises increasingly rely on tools like Microsoft Copilot to surface insights from across the Microsoft ecosystem. Copilot connects the dots between emails, meetings, and files, helping users find what they need quickly. For example, it can highlight a project update from a meeting, locate the supporting file from a recent email, and summarize the next steps in one place.
Aino plays a complementary role by focusing on the structure of content itself. While Copilot provides visibility and analysis, Aino ensures documents are properly tagged and governed. Together, Copilot offers context while Aino delivers control.
The result is an environment where information is both easy to find and governed compliantly throughout its lifecycle. Together, this combination turns AI from a background assistant into an operational force, one that enables faster decisions, cleaner processes, and measurable business outcomes.
Operational Impact
The practical outcomes of this approach are significant. Consider an energy company that processes permits, contracts, and reports every day. With AI integrated into its document management system, several transformations occur:
- Faster approvals: A permit can be automatically identified, tagged with the correct ID and survey data, and routed for approval in minutes.
- Smarter contract handling: Key details like effective dates, contacts, and obligations are extracted automatically, ensuring renewal alerts and retention workflows happen on time.
- Improved control in SharePoint: Even in existing, unstructured repositories, AI can analyze stored documents and apply consistent metadata, transforming a cluttered file system into a well-organized knowledge base.
The Foundation for Intelligent Information Management
The path to AI-enhanced document management doesn’t require abandoning existing systems. The most successful organizations take a layered approach, combining the familiar productivity tools of Microsoft 365 and SharePoint with the intelligence and governance capabilities of M-Files.
This shift creates a single source of truth across repositories and ensures that users can find what they need without navigating a maze of folders. AI plays a critical role in maintaining that order automatically, so governance never becomes a manual burden again.
From Tools to Teammates
When it comes to document management, AI is no longer just “nice to have;” it’s a teammate that accelerates workflows, improves accuracy and compliance, and frees employees to focus on strategic tasks. Integrating AI tools like M-Files Aino with Microsoft 365 helps organizations work smarter and stay competitive.
Are you ready to explore AI-powered document management? Whether you’re implementing a document control solution for the first time or optimizing your current system, CTG provides tailored strategies and hands-on support to maximize the value of AI in your document management processes. Our team will guide you through a transition that is smooth, secure, and aligned with your business goals. From planning and configuration to user adoption, governance, and ongoing optimization, CTG’s document management services help ensure your investment delivers maximum efficiency and compliance.
If you’re ready to take the next step, contact us to start building your intelligent information management strategy.
/1.%20Visuals/Website/Icons/x-twitter.svg){kind=icon}