Why Generative AI Requires a Solid Information Foundation

Unlocking the Power of Generative AI with Microsoft 365 examines the growing need for organizations to rethink how they manage content as AI becomes central to productivity. As the white paper explains, most businesses rely heavily on Microsoft 365 tools such as SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Outlook to create and store content. Yet without strong governance, this content becomes scattered across silos, making it difficult to find, trust, or reuse. Companies hoping to benefit from AI first need to address information chaos so AI can operate on accurate, well governed content.

How Microsoft 365 and GenAI Can Deliver Greater Value Together

The white paper highlights how productivity suites enable content creation but do not enforce structure, process, or lifecycle control. As organizations scale, version confusion, duplicate content, and inconsistent access rights increase operational risk and limit AI accuracy. The guide explains why generative AI cannot solve these challenges on its own. AI requires curated, contextualized, secure information to provide useful results. When combined with strong governance, automated workflows, and metadata driven structure, AI becomes a powerful way for employees to query enterprise knowledge and get reliable answers using natural language.

What’s Inside the eBook

Learn how organizations can prepare Microsoft 365 environments for GenAI by:

• Understanding how knowledge is created and stored across Office apps
• Recognizing the hidden costs of disorganized content and siloed repositories
• Addressing the “illusion of easy” when scaling SharePoint and Teams
• Identifying where content processes break down across document lifecycles
• Understanding why GenAI alone cannot fix information chaos
• Evaluating build versus buy approaches to improve governance and automation
• Prioritizing high impact areas to begin modernization efforts
• Engaging end users and securing buy-in for AI enabled change

The guide provides clear steps for strengthening structure, governance, and context so AI can enhance productivity without increasing risk.

Who Should Read This

• IT and digital workplace leaders
• Knowledge management and information governance teams
• Business and operations leaders preparing for AI adoption
• Microsoft 365 administrators and architects
• Transformation leaders responsible for productivity and compliance

Why Generative AI Success Depends on Information Quality

The white paper underscores a critical truth. Generative AI cannot compensate for poor information quality, inconsistent structure, or uncontrolled repositories. Without clear metadata, classification, and governance, AI may surface irrelevant, outdated, or inaccurate content. Successful organizations prioritize data quality, evaluate technology options analytically, and involve end users early so AI can be introduced responsibly. This creates a future where Microsoft 365 becomes a launchpad for AI enabled productivity, rather than a barrier to insight.

Prepare Your Microsoft 365 Environment for Reliable AI

See how M-Files helps organizations eliminate information chaos, strengthen governance, and make their Microsoft 365 environments AI ready. Request a demo to see how metadata driven structure enhances GenAI accuracy and business productivity.