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Discover & Draft: Using Search and AI Chat

Written by CJ Teeter

Overview

In Shred.ai, you have two complementary ways to work:

  • Search: You’re hunting for key terms, phrases, or people across your proposal library. Run a search and you’ll get an AI Summary of what’s in your documents, plus specific proposal results to open and review. Start Search from the homepage or the left toolbar.

  • AI Chat: Think of AI Chat like sitting down with a colleague who knows your entire proposal library—and, if connected, your OpenAsset DAM. You can ask questions, compare examples, draft new content, and refine responses. AI Chat can be used on its own or as a follow-up to a Search.

Here's a quick video that breaks down each:

Quickstart:

A) Search

  1. Enter Your Search

    • Click on the “search” button on the left hand toolbar (magnifying glass) and type in your search.

    • Example: “North Carolina licensed architect” or “stakeholder engagement strategy”

  2. View AI Overview

    • Provides a summary of your search term, using insights from your entire proposal library in Shred.ai.

  3. View Full-Text Results

    • Below the AI Overview, you will see proposals where your exact search term appears.

  4. Drill Down

    • From here, you have a few options:

      1. Under the “AI Overview” section, you can dive in deeper with AI Chat which will allow you to engage with our AI Chat tool.

      2. In the “full text search” results section, click on specific proposals where the exact search term appears.

Examples:

  • “Healthcare proposals submitted to ABC Corp”

  • “Design-build delivery language”

  • “Julian Smith" (example architect at your firm)

Behind the scenes: Search is full-text and returns one result per document (with pagination).

B) AI Chat

  1. Open AI Chat

    • From any screen, click on the “AI Chat” icon - the sparkling star icon in the bottom-right hand corner.

  2. Choose your Data Source

    1. Use the toggle to choose what AI Chat should reference, based on where you are in Shred.ai:

      • From most pages:

        • Your proposal library in Shred.ai, or

        • Your OpenAsset DAM data (projects, employee experience, resumes, and assets), if connected

      • From within a Pursuit:

        • Your proposal library and this specific RFP, or

        • Your OpenAsset DAM data

  3. Type Your Question

    • Use natural language, just like you’d ask a colleague.

    • Example: “Which proposals included sustainability certifications in healthcare projects?”

  4. Review the Answer

    • AI Chat will provide a narrative response, along with source references when available.

  5. Refine with Follow-Up Questions

    • Continue the conversation without starting over.

    • Example: “Show me the specific wording used in those proposals.”

Note:

If you access the AI Chat tool while viewing a particular RFP, you have the option to chat with both your proposal library and this specific pursuit. You do have the option to select “No, I only want to talk to my proposal library.”

Tips:

  • Ask a natural question (e.g., “Show examples of sustainability goals we’ve used in higher-ed RFPs.”).

  • Don’t start over — use follow-up questions to keep the conversation going.

  • Refine with follow-ups (e.g., “Only 2024,” “Pull the exact wording,” “Draft 150 words for a civic RFP.”).

  • Come back anytime — your recent chats are listed in AI Chat so you can pick up the conversation later.

  • Need to change course mid-response? You can stop a response while it's generating, rework your prompt, and send again — no need to wait for a full response before adjusting.

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