AI document assistant: extraction and search
CiaoBob's AI document assistant brings together two functions in one offering: extracting data from documents (PDFs, invoices, delivery notes, contracts) and returning it structured, and searching your archive by meaning, answering questions in plain language and always citing the source. It does not replace whoever verifies and signs: it preps the data and finds the passages, leaving control to the person. Your data stays yours, with no shared model training.
01 What is the AI document assistant?
It is an offering that combines extraction and document search. On the extraction side, it reads incoming documents and pulls the fields you need — numbers, dates, amounts, codes — returning them structured for your system or a spreadsheet, even on non-standard documents. On the search side, it indexes your archive and answers plain-language questions by finding the relevant passage and citing the document it came from.
It understands context, unlike rigid legacy OCR: it recognizes the same value even when it changes position or wording, and it searches by meaning, not just exact words. Every answer is verifiable, because it carries the reference to its source.
02 What does it actually do?
The assistant removes the mechanical part of document work — reading, copying, searching — and leaves verification to the person. The main features:
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Data extraction | Pulls fields, amounts, dates and codes from PDFs, invoices, delivery notes and contracts, structured |
| Non-standard documents | Recognizes the same value even when it changes position or wording from one supplier to another |
| Search by meaning | Finds the right passage in the archive from a plain-language question |
| Cited source | Every answer reports the document it is drawn from, so you can verify it |
| Your data | No shared training, encryption in transit and at rest, audited access |
03 Who is it for (and when is it not needed)?
It suits those who handle large volumes of incoming documents or have big archives where finding information takes time: professional firms, back office, distribution, real estate agencies, companies with a lot of technical or contractual documentation. The value grows with document volume and how often you search.
It is not needed where documents are few and regular, easily handled by hand. And it does not take responsibility for what goes into a deed or a filing: that stays with the person who verifies and signs. The diagnosis says whether it is worth it in your case.
04 How do you activate it?
You start with a free diagnosis: we look at the documents you handle, the recurring formats, the archive and your confidentiality needs, and tell you whether and how it is worth it. From there we define what to extract and what to search, connect the assistant to your data, and verify accuracy on a set of real documents before it goes live.
For the most sensitive data, an isolated environment can be used, keeping everything in house. What can leave and what cannot is decided in the initial analysis. No price list: the estimate comes from the diagnosis, with no commitment.
Does the assistant cite where it got the answer?
Yes. On the search side, every answer reports the document and passage it is drawn from, so you can verify it. It works on your documents, not generic knowledge, and does not give answers without a verifiable reference.
Does it work on scanned PDFs and non-standard documents?
Yes. It understands context: it recognizes the same value even when it changes position or wording, and handles scans of varying quality, unlike rigid legacy OCR. Ambiguous cases are flagged instead of guessed.
Do confidential documents stay safe?
Yes. No shared model training, encryption in transit and at rest, least-privilege audited access. For the most sensitive data an isolated environment can be used, keeping everything in house. What can leave is decided in the initial analysis.