Let AI Do the Heavy Lifting in Agreement Preparation
Docusign Agreement Preparation—a core component of Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM)—now features advanced AI capabilities that automate the time-consuming template building process.
If you work in sales, operations, HR, or legal, you probably spend more time than you’d like creating and updating templates for document generation. While enabling your teams to generate accurate agreements quickly is essential, creating these templates can be repetitive and time-consuming.
Docusign Agreement Preparation, a core component of the Docusign IAM platform, helps teams standardize and automate agreement generation across the business.
And now, with Docusign Iris, our new AI engine, you can automate the template creation process so your teams can move faster without sacrificing accuracy.
These new AI capabilities are designed to:
Replace manual setup work when creating templates
Improve data consistency across the agreement lifecycle
Help admins work faster and with more confidence
A quick refresher: Agreement Preparation template options
Agreement Preparation delivers a consistent, scalable way for organizations to generate documents using templates. When creating a template, customers can choose between two template-building options:
Agreement Template Builder (ATB): A visual, browser-based way to build and manage templates
Word Template Assistant (WTA): A familiar experience for teams that prefer building templates in Microsoft Word
They each provide a standardized document-generation experience for IAM customers, and the output is the same. However, we’re excited to introduce AI functionality into the ATB, making template creation faster and smarter.
Let’s look at what’s new.
AI-assisted agreement type detection: Cleaner data, less effort
When you upload a document to create a template, ATB now leverages AI to automatically detect the agreement type. Instead of manually selecting a value, the system assigns one for you—unless you choose to override it.
Why this matters
Less manual work for admins: One less field to manage every time you create a template. Over dozens or hundreds of templates, that time savings adds up.
More consistent data across your agreement process: The AI-assigned agreement type aligns with the values used throughout the IAM platform. This keeps your data consistent and connected across the agreement lifecycle, from preparation to search and analysis.
Smarter field suggestions based on agreement type: Once the agreement type is detected, AI automatically surfaces a curated list of relevant data fields that you can add to your template.
Instead of scrolling through a long list of possible fields, you see the most commonly used fields for that type of agreement at the top
For an offer letter, for example, you’ll immediately see fields like candidate name, position, title, start date, base salary, and manager
Users can also add new, custom fields to this list for future templates
The result: Template creators spend less time searching for the right fields and more time designing the agreements that matter to their business.
AI-assisted field suggestion: Review vs. create
One of the most tedious aspects of template creation is placing data fields throughout the document.
With AI field suggestion, Iris analyzes the content of your uploaded document and automatically places relevant data fields directly into the template. These fields come from Docusign’s standard field library, along with any custom fields already defined in your account.
How it works
Upload your document and name the template
Iris detects the agreement type and surfaces relevant fields
Choose whether to drag and drop fields manually or let Iris place them automatically
Iris scans the document and inserts data fields—such as recipient name, dates, and dollar amounts—where they belong
You retain full control: accept, edit, move, or remove any field before finalizing the template
Why this matters
Faster template creation: Instead of manually clicking through every instance of a name, date, or amount, Iris handles the initial pass.
Fewer missed fields: It’s easy to overlook a field when building templates under time pressure. Iris helps reduce that risk by systematically scanning the entire document.
More time for higher value work: Admins and template creators can focus on structure, logic, and rules rather than repetitive field placement.
The result: Template creators shift from building everything manually to simply reviewing and refining—speeding up the process.
The improved workflow experience
Here’s how these new AI features show up in your day-to-day workflow:
1. Create a new document template: Start by creating a new template and uploading your document. The only required field is the template name; you can also manually select an agreement type if you prefer.
2. Iris assigns the agreement type: Once your document is uploaded, you’re taken into the ATB. If you haven’t selected an agreement type, Iris will automatically assign one, such as “offer letter” for an HR new hire template.
3. Relevant fields appear automatically: Based on the detected agreement type, you’ll see a list of relevant data fields. These are the fields most commonly used for that type of agreement, surfaced at the top, so you don’t have to search for them.
4. Let Iris place fields, or do it yourself: Drag and drop fields into the document manually, or choose the AI option to automatically place fields throughout the template based on the document’s content.
5. Refine and configure as usual: Continue to add rules, conditional logic, and other advanced behaviors to your template, just as you do today. Iris handles the heavy lifting; you make the final decisions.
Designed for accuracy, starting with U.S. English
While these AI enhancements are available globally, we’re initially recommending them for U.S. English agreements. As with all Iris capabilities, we’re prioritizing quality and accuracy, and will expand supported languages and regions over time.
What this means for your team
For sales ops, HR, and legal teams responsible for managing agreements at scale, these new capabilities help:
Launch new templates faster: Move from a static document to a working, data-connected template in just a few steps
Improve data quality: Use consistent agreement types and fields that stay aligned across the IAM platform
Reduce manual, repetitive work: Free up admins and template builders to focus on higher-value tasks such as designing workflows, approvals, and conditions
Iris isn’t replacing human judgment in your agreements – it’s handling the tedious setup details so your experts can focus on the decisions that matter.
Get started
If you’re already using the ATB within the IAM platform, you’ll see these new AI capabilities as part of your existing experience. (Customers who’ve chosen to opt out of AI functionality will not see these features.) No separate activation is required, and you’ll always have the options to review, edit, or override AI suggestions.
Let Iris handle the busywork of building templates so your teams can spend more time closing deals, welcoming new hires, and managing risk with confidence.
If you’re exploring ways to modernize how your organization prepares and manages agreements, now’s a great time to see what Agreement Preparation and IAM can do for you.
Check out our release notes for additional information. Contact your Docusign account team to make sure you’re leveraging all of our latest functionality.
Related posts
Docusign IAM is the agreement platform your business needs
