Ask AI FAQs

Jessica Lara

April 03, 2026 15:11

This FAQ article answers common technical and practical questions about Ask AI powered by Finalsite Intelligence, including data sourcing, privacy, response accuracy, supported languages, and how the assistant handles questions it cannot answer.

General & technical specifications

Q: What makes Ask AI different from a traditional chatbot?
A: Unlike rule-based systems that follow rigid scripts, Ask AI is context-aware and adaptive. It uses a dynamic knowledge base to provide thoughtful, conversational answers, reducing the need for users to manually search through website pages.

Q: What AI model does Ask AI use?
A: Ask AI uses the latest model from Google, Gemini 2.5 Flash, for its superior data privacy standards (GCP), its ability to process long, complex documents, and its seamless integration with our secure cloud infrastructure.

Q: Does Ask AI support non-English languages?
A: Yes. Ask AI supports all languages currently offered by Google Gemini (70+ languages). As Google expands Gemini’s language capabilities, those updates will automatically be available to Ask AI.

Q: How is Gemini’s translation different from Google Translate?
A:

Feature	Google Gemini	Google Translate
Technology	Uses AI-powered large language models (LLMs) to generate translations based on context and nuance.	Uses rule-based and neural machine translation (NMT) for direct word and phrase translation.
Context Awareness	Highly context-aware and can understand idioms, tone, intent, and cultural nuances.	Focuses on literal and structured translation, sometimes missing deeper context.
Interactivity	Can refine translations based on conversation history and feedback.	Provides static translations without dynamic refinements.
Creativity	Can paraphrase, summarize, or localize content based on intent.	Primarily translates text word-for-word with some contextual improvements.
Use Case	Ideal for creative writing, customer communication, and nuanced localization.	Best for quick and accurate direct translations.

Setup & launch

Q: We already have advanced search. Do I need both?
A: Offering both meets users wherever they are most comfortable. Search is like a map; Ask AI is like a guide. Search works best when a user knows exactly what keyword they need. Ask AI is ideal for users who prefer to ask a question in natural language or don't know the specific terminology.

Q: Will this be available on all my school buildings' sites and pages?
A: Yes. You have full control over deployment. You can apply a single district-wide chatbot to every page across your entire site, or create unique configurations for individual schools or sub-domains.

Q: Can I test Ask AI before it goes live on my site?
A: Yes. The Test & Launch tab includes a Test Mode toggle. This allows you to preview the widget and its functionality on your site without it being visible to the public.

Q: Can I temporarily deactivate/disable Ask AI while I make changes?
A: Yes. Toggle on Test Mode under the Test & Launch tab to preview and test the widget without it being visible to the public. Disable Test Mode when you are ready for Ask AI to be live again.

Q: Can I implement the Ask AI widget on a non-Finalsite website?
A: Yes. Ask AI works on any content management system, including non-Finalsite websites. Simply follow the instructions on your Ask AI Test & Launch tab to copy the JavaScript code onto your site.

Data & accuracy

Q: How does Ask AI prevent hallucinations?
A: Unlike general-purpose chatbots, Ask AI uses source-grounding to mitigate hallucinations. This means the AI is tethered to your verified sources of information, creating a personalized AI experience versed in the facts relevant to your community.

Q: Does the AI learn and improve automatically from user chats and ratings?
A: No. To ensure accuracy and safety, the AI does not self-teach from user conversations. Instead, thumbs up/down ratings and chat logs are provided to you so you can identify content gaps or areas where you may need to add new pages or sources to improve the AI's knowledge base.

Q: Can it handle misspellings?
A: The model is excellent at interpreting slight misspellings (e.g., kindergarden). However, it may struggle with extreme leaps, such as "supernintendo" for "superintendent."

Q: Can I train the AI to recognize specific key figures in our school, like the Head of School or CFO?
A: While users cannot “train” the AI model, you can provide information that informs how the AI will generate an answer. For example, you can upload dedicated documents (e.g., a .docx or PDF biography) to the knowledge base to improve the AI's comprehension of specific staff members or leadership roles. Learn more about how to add knowledge to your Ask AI instance in the article “Ask AI Manage: Configure settings and knowledge base.”

Content management & scanning

Q: How often is my website scanned?
A: For each source in your knowledge base, you control how often it gets scanned. For example, you might schedule a monthly scan of your full website and a daily scan for specific pages that update regularly. Learn more about website scanning in the "Knowledge > Data sources" section of the "Ask AI Manage: Configure settings and knowledge base" article.

Coming soon: A direct integration with Composer so newly published changes will instantly be captured in your Ask AI knowledge base.

Q: How long do updates take to be reflected in the AI responses?
A: Typically, it takes up to a few hours after a scheduled crawl for the new information to be reflected in the AI’s responses, depending on the volume of pages scanned.

Q: How do I exclude hidden or outdated pages?
A: There are several ways to ensure Ask AI only uses relevant and public-facing content:

Hidden pages: Ask AI uses a crawler to index your site. If a page is hidden (meaning it is not linked anywhere on your navigation or within your sitemap), the crawler will generally not find it. However, if a hidden page is linked from a public page, it will be indexed unless specifically excluded.
Manual exclusions (Add exclusion URL): To prevent specific pages or sections from being indexed, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Knowledge > Data sources.
- Find the specific website source, click the 3-dot menu, and select Edit.
- Click + Add exclusion to open the Add exclusion URL window. Enter a single page URL, or use ** to exclude all pages under a path (e.g., https://example.com/internal/**).
- Optionally, check Hide links on excluded pages from AI responses to also suppress links and documents found on that page. Use + Add exception link if you want certain links on that page to remain available.
Indexing strategies: When adding or editing a website source, you can choose a strategy to limit the scope of the scan. For example, using the "Full website" strategy allows you to scan only pages that start with a specific URL path (e.g., /public-info), automatically ignoring other sections of your site.
Exact Match toggle: Within the Excluded URLs settings, checking the Exclude URLs by exact match box ensures that only those specific pages are removed, preventing the system from accidentally excluding entire sub-directories you might still need.

Learn more about the settings above in the article "Ask AI Manage: Configure settings and knowledge base."

Q: Can Ask AI scan a password-protected page on my site?
A: No. Ask AI cannot scan a website or web pages that are password-protected. To include these options in Ask AI, you would have to upload the information into the knowledge base through File Imports or Priority Q&As.

Q: What types of files can I upload to the knowledge base?
A: Ask AI supports .pdf, .csv, .docx, and .txt files only.

PDFs must be text-based.
Ask AI does not support living documents, such as Google Docs.
Scanned images or screenshots are not readable by the system.

Visit the “Supported file types table” in the article “Ask AI Manage: Configure settings and knowledge base” to learn more.

Q: Does Ask AI scan files directly from the Resources module?
A: Not directly. Ask AI scans the content on your approved website and will include files from the Resource module only if they are linked within those pages. If a file exists in Resources but is not linked or related to an included web source, it will not be scanned or used to generate AI responses.

Q: How can I see what users are asking?
A: You can monitor user intent through two main tools:

Chat Logs: View full, real-time transcripts including exact phrasing and timestamps. These are exportable as .csv files.
Categories Report: Located under the Analytics tab, this report automatically groups queries into high-level categories. Use it to identify trending topics, monitor common pain points, and see which subject areas drive the most traffic.

Q: What is Priority Q&A?
A: Priority Q&A allows you to manually input question-and-answer pairs that the AI prioritizes and ranks higher than other sources. The AI processes this data as a primary source but generates its own response rather than quoting the text verbatim. It acts as an enhanced answer; if other relevant, non-contradictory info exists, the AI will combine it with the Q&A for a more complete reply.

Customizing the user experience

Q: Can I customize the appearance of the Ask AI widget?
A: Yes. You can align the widget with your school’s branding by customizing the name, avatar, color scheme, typography, and even its tone of voice (e.g., Friendly & Warm). Learn more about the Appearance settings in the article “Ask AI Manage: Configure settings and knowledge base.”

Q: Does Ask AI meet accessibility standards?
A: Ask AI is built with WCAG 2.1 AA standards in mind, using accessible design and interaction patterns to support a wide range of users and devices. However, because the widget’s appearance allows for some level of customization by the client, like colors and styling, accessibility can also depend on how those configurations are set. We provide guidance and best practices to help schools and districts maintain accessibility in those areas.

Q: What happens if Ask AI doesn't know the answer to a question?
A: You can configure Fallback Replies, which guide users to specific webpages, staff members, or departments based on the category of the question, ensuring the user still receives the help they need.

Q: What are the different user roles in Ask AI?
A: There are three role types in Ask AI:

Organization Admin: Full access to manage all settings, users, and chatbots.
Admin: Can edit settings and manage users for specific chatbots assigned to them.
Viewer: Read-only access to view activity and settings for assigned chatbots.

Q: Can I restrict a user to only see one specific school’s Ask AI instance?
A: Yes. Within User Management, you can edit a user’s Chatbot access to grant or remove access to specific domains or school-level instances.

Q: The widget isn't showing up or is hidden behind page content. How do I fix this?
A: If the widget is missing or obscured, check these two areas:

Test & Launch: Ensure the Ask AI instance is actually enabled on your Test & Launch page for exposure on your site. If you have Test Mode enabled, the widget will not be visible to the public.
Layering (Z-Index): If the widget is active but behind other elements, adjust the Z-Index under Appearance > Widget Bubble.
- Higher numbers bring the widget forward, ensuring it stays on top of other content.
- Small values (1-10) place it behind elements.
- Big values (1000+) keep it visible above menus or popups.

If you checked the settings above but are still unable to see the Ask AI widget on your site, submit a request to our Support Team for assistance.