The NetDocuments AI Assistant is a powerful tool — but not every firm wants to roll it out to all users at once. Whether you’re managing licensing costs, piloting the feature with a select group, or simply following your firm’s technology rollout policies, NetDocuments gives administrators a straightforward way to limit AI Assistant access to specific user groups.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting it up.
Part 1: Enable the AI Assistant Restriction in Repository Settings
Start in the NetDocuments Admin Console.
Step 1: Navigate to Users & Groups.
Step 2: In the upper-right area of the Users & Groups screen, click the gear icon.
Step 3: In the Repository User Settings dialog, enable the toggle for “Limit Assistant to only specified User Groups.” and Click Apply
Once this setting is enabled, AI Assistant access will no longer be available to all users by default. Access must now be explicitly granted through a designated User Group.
Part 2: Create the “Legal AI Assistant” User Group
Next, you’ll create the group that will control AI Assistant access.
Step 1: Still in Users & Groups, create a new group. We recommend naming it Legal AI Assistant to make its purpose immediately clear.
Step 2: Open the group’s Details pane.
Step 3: Find the option labeled “Members are allowed to access Legal AI Assistant” and turn it on.
Step 4: Add the users who should have access to the AI Assistant to this group.
Any user added to the Legal AI Assistant group will have access to the AI Assistant. Users not in the group will not see it.
Part 3: Add the Group to the Appropriate Cabinets
Finally, you need to make sure the Legal AI Assistant group has a presence in every cabinet where the AI Assistant should be available.
Step 1: Open each cabinet where you want the AI Assistant to be accessible.
Step 2: Add the Legal AI Assistant group to the cabinet with No Default Access.
Important: Setting the group to No Default Access means this group membership does not automatically grant document-level permissions within the cabinet. It simply identifies that members of this group are eligible to use the AI Assistant in that cabinet.
Repeat this for each cabinet where AI Assistant access should be available.
Why This Matters for Law Firms
Controlling AI Assistant access gives your firm several important benefits:
- Licensing control: Only seat AI Assistant for users who will actively use it.
- Phased rollouts: Pilot the AI Assistant with a small group before firm-wide deployment.
- Practice group targeting: Enable AI features in specific practice areas before rolling out broadly.
- Policy compliance: Align AI usage with firm governance policies around data and technology adoption.
Need Help Configuring NetDocuments AI Settings?
Optiable specializes in NetDocuments implementations, migrations, and ongoing support for law firms. If you’d like help configuring the AI Assistant or any other aspect of your NetDocuments environment, we’re happy to assist.