An article's state controls two things: whether customers can read it, and whether the AI chatbot can use it.
Customer visibility and AI use are separate settings. Confusing them is the most common knowledge base mistake - publishing an article does not automatically include it for the AI, and including it for the AI does nothing while the article is still a draft.
Each article is Draft or Published, and can optionally be marked Include in AI Knowledge.
Before you begin
You need:
- A role with Knowledge Base edit permission.
- The correct brand and language selected - articles do not sync across either.
- An article open in the editor, or access to Manage Articles for bulk publish and unpublish.
Step 1 - Understand Draft and Published
Draft
Visible to customers - No
Available to the AI - No
Published
Visible to customers - Yes
Available to the AI - Only if Include in AI Knowledge is also enabled
Draft saves the article without making it visible. Use it while writing, and while content is being reviewed internally.
Published makes the article available in the public knowledge base. Published articles can still be edited afterwards.
Step 2 - Save as Draft
- Open the article in the editor.
- Confirm the brand, language, and category.
- Hover over Save and choose Save as Draft.
The article stays out of the help centre and out of AI answers until you publish it.
Step 3 - Save and Publish
Before publishing, confirm:
- The correct brand is selected
- The correct language is selected
- It is assigned to the correct category
- The content is complete and accurate
- Links and images work
Then:
- Open the article in the editor.
- Hover over Save and choose Save and Publish.
You can also publish selected articles in bulk from Manage Articles.
Publishing updates the public knowledge base immediately. The AI picks the change up at the next scheduled update - see below.
Step 4 - Include in AI Knowledge
- Open the article in the editor.
- In the settings panel, enable Include in AI Knowledge.
- Save the article (Save and Publish if it should stay public).
Enabling this lets the Pleased AI read the article and use its content when answering customers.
Only enable it for content that is accurate, approved and genuinely customer-facing. Whatever you allow the AI to read, it may repeat to a customer in its own words.
Draft articles are never included for the AI, regardless of this setting.
Each article in Manage Articles shows whether it is included in AI Knowledge.
Step 5 - Unpublish when content is wrong
Unpublishing removes an article from the public knowledge base immediately, and from AI answers at the next scheduled update, without deleting it. Use it when content becomes wrong or a policy changes - faster and safer than rewriting under pressure.
- Open the article, or select it in Manage Articles.
- Choose Unpublish.
You can unpublish in bulk from Manage Articles.
What the AI can and cannot use
The AI can only use an article that is:
- Published
- Marked Include in AI Knowledge
- Written in the same language as the customer
- Stored under the correct brand
- Not empty - a title with no body gives the AI nothing to read
It cannot use an article that is in draft, unpublished, excluded from AI knowledge, in a different language from the query, or under a different brand.
How quickly changes reach the AI
Publishing, editing and unpublishing change the public knowledge base straight away - refresh the portal and the change is there.
The AI is updated on a repeating schedule, not the instant you save. Your knowledge base is re-read at a set interval - commonly every few minutes - and the AI answers from the last completed pass.
Two consequences worth knowing:
- After a correction, allow a few minutes before testing the AI. Asking the chatbot straight away can return the old wording — the article is fixed, the AI has not re-read it yet.
- Urgent removals should not rely on the AI update alone. If something must not be repeated to a customer at all, unpublish it and tell your team, rather than assuming the chatbot stops using it the same second.
Renaming and moving articles
For the public knowledge base, renaming an article or moving it to another category is an ordinary edit.
For the AI it is not an edit. An article is identified by its title together with its place in the category structure, so changing either makes it a different article: at the next scheduled update the old version is removed and the new one is read in from scratch.
Nothing is lost, but bear in mind:
- Between the change and the next update, the AI may still be answering from the old title and location.
- Renaming a category or section affects every article inside it, because it changes where those articles sit. A large restructure means a large re-read.
- If you are tidying up, do it in one pass rather than trickling changes through over a day.
Choosing a state
Still writing it - Draft
Written, awaiting internal review - Draft
Accurate, approved, customer-facing - Published + Include in AI Knowledge
Customer-facing but nuanced, or needs an agent's judgement - Published, not included for AI
Information has changed and you cannot fix it right now - Unpublish
Written for internal use only - Draft, or an internal-only category
Troubleshooting
Customers cannot see my article. It is still a draft, was created under a different language, or you are looking at a different brand.
The AI is not using my article. Check that it is published, that Include in AI Knowledge is on, that it has body content, and that it sits under the brand and language the customer is using. If all of those are right, wait a few minutes for the next scheduled update.
I published a correction and the chatbot still gives the old answer. The public knowledge base updated immediately; the AI has not re-read it yet. Wait for the next scheduled update, then test again.
I turned on Include in AI Knowledge but nothing changed. Draft articles are never included for the AI. Publish first, then wait for the next scheduled update.
I cannot publish. Check a category is selected, a language is selected, and that you have Knowledge Base edit permission.