by Anne Hatinen
Quick Summary
Effective September 1, 2026, EBSCO will transition AI-Assisted Search and Ask This Document (AI Ask) beta from opt-in to opt-out, making both features available by default across applicable researcher interfaces, including EBSCOhost and EBSCO Discovery Service.
from EBSCO:
Effective September 1, 2026, EBSCO will transition AI-Assisted Search and Ask This Document (AI Ask) beta from opt-in to opt-out, making both features available by default across applicable researcher interfaces, including EBSCOhost and EBSCO Discovery Service.
Libraries will continue to have full administrative control through EBSCO Experience Manager (EEM). Any existing customizations or decisions to disable these features will remain unchanged through the transition. EBSCO initially used an opt-in model to respect librariesā€™ varying policies and readiness to adopt AI. However, customers reported that limited awareness, competing priorities, and uncertainty about administrative responsibilities often prevented enablement. Customer feedback and usage data also indicate that these features help researchers more easily discover and use trusted, library-provided content.
Moving to an opt-out model will make the features more accessible while preserving institutional choice. Libraries may disable either feature based on their policies, and both are clearly labeled and optional for users.
For more information about these features or instructions for opting out, visit EBSCO Connect.
