Firstup AI Search, combined with our enhanced search experience, delivers a new level of precision and efficiency—helping you quickly find the answers and resources you need, no matter where they reside. This capability accelerates business outcomes, removes friction, and empowers teams to act decisively on their most important initiatives.

The new AI search can explore a wide range of content, including topics, posts, people, and external files stored in platforms like Google Drive or Microsoft SharePoint. It can also search for or execute actions with certain integrations (note: not all integrations are available yet). Which sources the AI Assistant can access is fully configurable by your admins, within Creator Studio.

Importantly, your data is not used to train any AI models by Firstup, our subprocessors, or the AI engine behind the functionality, OpenAI.

Below, you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about these AI capabilities. To learn more about using Firstup AI Search, please refer to this article. Admin settings for this feature can be found in Managing Firstup AI Search.

Key Capabilities

• Agentic, Natural-Language Search: Employees ask questions in plain language and receive clear, source-attributed answers across Firstup and connected systems.
• Conversational Experiences: Enables task completion and information retrieval directly within the flow of work.
• Embedded Within Firstup: Fully integrated into existing Firstup search and workflows—no separate tools required.
• Enterprise-Ready Governance: Admin controls for AI features, sources, and summaries at the community level.
• Multi-Platform Access: Available across web, mobile iOS, and mobile Android, ensuring consistent AI-powered search experiences wherever employees work.
• Multi-Lingual support: Ability to answer questions in Firstup-supported languages

Feature Overview

1. Is this something Firstup created or something you are offering through a third-party?
    
   Firstup AI Search is an integration between Firstup and OpenAI’s Enterprise API and Large Language Model (LLM). It operates like any other Firstup integration. Firstup’s storage and handling of customer data does not change. If enabled, applicable data is transmitted to OpenAI via secure enterprise API integration. OpenAI does not use customer data to train its models.
   
   More information:
    

   • https://trust.openai.com
   • https://openai.com/enterprise-privacy
      
2. Is this true agentic search or just indexing/federated search?
   
   This is agentic search. Firstup AI Search leverages a unified index model built behind the scenes to connect data sources and ensure fast, accurate responses. It is not simply federated search.
    

3. What indexing model is being used?
   
   OpenAI has several models. We do not publicly communicate the specific model used, as it may change over time.
    

4. Does the application leverage artificial intelligence? What kind?
   
   Yes. The application uses generative artificial intelligence through integration with OpenAI.

   Generative AI enables:

   • Natural-language query interpretation
   • Response synthesis across multiple data sources
   • Summaries
   • Multi-turn conversational interactions

   This improves information discovery and efficiency across content and integrations.
    

5. What specific generative AI tool is used? Are public generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Enterprise ChatGPT involved?
   
   Firstup AI Search uses enterprise-grade OpenAI large language models via secure API integration. Public consumer tools (e.g., public ChatGPT) are not used. All AI requests are processed through controlled enterprise APIs and require explicit customer opt-in
    

6. Do you use the Azure OpenAI API?
   
   Firstup uses OpenAI’s standalone Enterprise API rather than the Azure OpenAI version. Both operate on the same underlying infrastructure. The Azure version integrates into the broader Microsoft Azure ecosystem; Firstup’s implementation does not embed within Azure’s architecture.

Data and Sources

1. What data does OpenAI have access to?
   
   The AI Assistant can search across:

   • Topics and posts
   • People
   • Firstup supported integrations (full list coming soon)
   • External files in Google Drive and Microsoft SharePoint

   Data sources are configurable in Creator Studio → Configure → AI Settings.
    

2. Do we index anything?
   
   Yes. Community data is indexed prior to onboarding, and also continually re-indexed as it changes, to keep it up-to-date.
   
   Firstup indexes all data that is stored on the Firstup platform and accessible to AI Search. For data from external sources, we don't index it ourselves, instead we search via the API of the external service.
    

3. What informs the model?
   
   The model is informed by:

   • Topics
   • Content
   • People data
   • Logged-in user profile information
   • Pre-configured integrations

   Customer admins control which sources the agent can access.
    

4. How are integrations handled (Microsoft, Google, Snowflake, etc.)?
   
   AI Search can work with a list of 3rd party integrations that Firstup supports. This includes integrations with UKG, Servicenow, Workday and more. It will not work with unsupported integrations such as with Snowflake. For a customer, If integrations are configured on their community, AI Search can be enabled via admin settings to include them in the search source pool.
   
   The agent uses the user’s existing credentials and authentication to retrieve data, effectively reducing manual navigation steps.

Access and Controls

1. Can access to the AI Assistant be limited to specific users?
   
   Yes. Customers will be able to control who has access to the assistant via Creator Studio → Configure → AI Settings. This will include ability to select one of the following:
    
   • Available to all users (default setting)
   • Available to specific audiences
     • If selected, the admin can choose from a list of audiences to give access
   • Available to everyone except specific audiences
     • If selected, the admin can choose from a list of audiences to EXCLUDE from access
        
2. Can we restrict which content or topics the AI Assistant can search?
   
   Currently, admins do not have the ability to restrict individual topics or content—only all topics and/or all content.
   
   Granular controls (specific topics/content) are a future update. For example, only allow Topics A,B and C versus an all or nothing. The AI Assistant fully respects existing user permissions and visibility rules.
    
3. How do we ensure AI does not expose restricted data?
   
   Permissions are enforced in search results. Both Firstup permissions and external integration permissions are honored.
   
   Users can only access information they are already authorized to view.
    
4. Is there an AI opt-out policy?
   
   AI Search is opt-in only and must be enabled by Firstup first, then by the customer admin in Creator Studio. If not enabled, no AI processing occurs.

Functionality and Behavior

1. What search analytics are available?
   
   Engagement data will be logged in the backend but not yet visible to customers. The data will include this initial set with more data to follow:
   
   Assistant:

   • Clicks into Assistant
   • Clicks on suggested prompts
   • Search terms (successful and zero-result)
   • Clicks within responses
   • Card clicks
   • Copy clicks
   • “New Chat,” “Close Chat,” “Show More,” “Show Less”
   • SharePoint and Google Drive result clicks

   AI Summary:

   • “Search with Assistant” clicks
   • “Show More” / “Show Less”
   • Copy clicks
      
2. How are zero-result searches handled?
   
   If no results are found, the agent informs the user and offers alternative suggestions.
    
3. What happens if intent is misunderstood?
   
   Additional prompting may be required. AI relies on community and integrated data and may occasionally produce imperfect responses.
    
4. Is ranking tunable?
   
   There are currently no user-level ranking or tuning controls. Ranking is influenced by the unified index model built to optimize speed and relevance. Backend tuning questions should be directed to the product team.
    
5. Does it support predictive or auto-complete search?
   
   No.
    
6. Does it remember past conversations?
   
   Context is retained within a single chat session. Context is lost when a new session begins. Persistent cross-session memory is being considered for future enhancement.
    
7. Are there limits on usage or pricing considerations?
   
   Usage limits are under discussion but not yet finalized.
    
8. Will there be ML-driven recommendations based on search behavior?
   
   Not yet. As adoption grows, search behavior data may inform future recommendations such as:
    
   • “Did you know?”
   • “You may also be interested in…”
   • “Others on your team found this useful.”
      
9. What if a customer already has their own agent (e.g., Copilot)?
   
   This is not built into our product yet. Future roadmap considerations include supporting Firstup as a Model Context Provider (MCP), allowing results to surface inside external agents such as Copilot.

Security, Privacy, and Compliance

1. Will customer data be used to train public AI models?
   
   No. Customer data is not used to train public or shared AI models.
    
2. Is any PII sent to OpenAI?
   
   Yes, in certain circumstances. If search results contain PII visible to the requesting user within Firstup already, that PII may be included in prompts sent to OpenAI. User queries may also include PII. All PII involved is already available within the customer’s Firstup environment and accessible to the requesting user.
    
3. Is Firstup AI Search intended for sensitive data?
   
   No. The platform is not intended for sensitive personal information such as:
    
   • Social Security numbers
   • Government-issued IDs
   • Passport numbers
   • Driver's license numbers
   • Full birthdates
   • Protected health or financial information
      
4. Does Firstup have a data processing agreement with OpenAI?
   
   Yes. Firstup has a Data Processing Agreement with OpenAI aligned with GDPR and other privacy laws.
    
5. How is data retained by OpenAI?
   
   OpenAI may retain API inputs and outputs for up to 30 days for service provision and abuse detection. API data is not used for model training.
    

6. How does Firstup log and monitor AI systems?

   • Production event logging
   • Abnormal behavior monitoring
   • Consolidated alerts and reporting
   • Annual continuity testing
   • 2-hour RTO/RPO target

   Once requests leave Firstup, monitoring is handled by OpenAI
    

7. Does the customer need to sign anything to use AI Search?
   
   Yes. Customers must accept a Generative AI Product Attachment, including OpenAI’s Terms of Use. Firstup’s Generative AI Integration Product Attachment is available on our website.
    
8. What is the purpose of the Generative AI Product Attachment?
   
   It explains:
    
   • The relationship with OpenAI
   • Integration-based delivery of functionality
   • Terms governing usage
      
9. Who do I need to contact if we require Firstup to sign or review our documentation, such as an AI Attestation form?
   
   Please email legal@firstup.io with your questions, and include links to any documents or forms you would like Firstup to complete. Start by contacting Legal, and they can help direct you to any additional teams if needed.