How to create a SharePoint site with AI

What you can use it for

• Team project sites

• Company news or updates

• Helpdesk or FAQ pages

• Training and onboarding

• And many more

Prerequisites

• Access to SharePoint Online with appropriate permissions to create sites.

• Copilot license

• Basic information about the site you wish to create (purpose, intended audience etc)

How it works

Step 1: Accessing Solution Builder

1. Go to your organization's SharePoint home page.

2. Click on "Create site" in the top navigation menu.

3. Select Create a site with AI from the available options. If you don’t see this option, contact your SharePoint administrator to ensure the feature is enabled for your tenant.

4. Alternatively, if you are using the new SharePoint interface, select "Build" on the left sidebar anywhere within SharePoint

Step 2: Describe Your Site

1. Start by typing a prompt that explains the site you are looking for. E.g., "I want to create a site to help my team collaborate and track project progress". You can also select one from a list of suggested prompts

2. The Knowledge agent may ask a few questions about your goals if they aren't already provided in your original prompt. Examples of follow up questions are:​​​​​​​

   1. What is the main purpose of this site? (e.g., project management, team collaboration, sharing news)

   2. Would your site be used my internal or external users?

3. ​​​​​​​Answer these questions as accurately as possible. Your responses will be used to a generate the site plan.

4. You will also have AI suggested prompts throughout your experience. You can take advantage of these prompts is appropriate for your needs.

Step 3: Review AI Suggestions and Customize

1. Once the solution Builder has enough information, it will present you with a site plan proposal. The site plan include the components such as Lists, Libraries, Pages and overall structure of the site to be created.

2. A visual structural representation of the plan is displayed on the canvas and you can access a more detailed plan in markdown format by selecting the "code snippet" button on the top of the navigation menu.

3. Customize content by adding or removing various components within the outline through chat or canvas. The AI may continue to suggest relevant content and layouts as you build.

4. You can  continue to make changes until until you are ready to build your site. The plan will be constantly updated as you provide more information and remove or request more capabilities.

5. If you are not satisfied, you can choose to the "Start over" option. Please note that you will lose all the progress you made on the builder if you proceed with this option.

Step 4: Finalize and Publish

1. After making required edits, you can create your site by selecting "Build it" 

2. You’ll be prompted to confirm the some basic site information:​​​​​​​

   1. Site Name: The title of your new site.

   2. Sensitivity: Choose whether your site will be public within your organization or private to invited members.

   3. Group email address: relevant only if you're creating a team's site based on your requirements.

3. Click OK to confirm you are happy with the details and your site will start building. Building your site may take a few minutes.

4. Once the build is complete, you would be redirected to your new site. In some cases, while the site is building, you may be asked to provide further information in order to complete building.

5. Once you land on the site, you can continue to update content and setup the site through the Knowledge agent. The Knowledge agent remains available to suggest improvements as your site evolves.

AI generated suggestions may be incorrect, so you can leave feedback on the quality of the suggestions using the thumbs up and down.

Tips for Effective Use of Solution Builder

• Be clear and specific in your answers to AI prompts for the most relevant suggestions.

• Leverage AI insights for ongoing site maintenance and enhancement; the tool can suggest new web parts or reorganizations as your needs change.

Things to Know

• Some advanced SharePoint features aren’t supported yet so you may need to set them up after the site is created. 

• Once your site starts building, there's no way to stop it from proceeding towards completion so make sure you are happy with the site plan. If you are not satisfied, you can start and build a new site.

Conclusion

Solution Builder in SharePoint empowers you to create professional, customized sites with ease. By following this onboarding guide, you’ll be well on your way to building collaborative spaces that drive productivity and engagement across your organization.

Transparency notes: Responsible AI (RAI) 

Microsoft is committed to developing and deploying AI responsibly. When using AI-powered features such as Knowledge Agent and Solution Builder:

• Data Privacy: Ensure compliance with your organization’s data governance and privacy policies.

• Sensitive Information: Avoid entering personally identifiable or confidential data in AI prompts.

• Human Oversight: Review AI-generated content for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness before publishing.

• Transparency & Fairness: Follow Microsoft’s Responsible AI principles to maintain fairness, reliability, and safety.

• Learn More: For detailed guidance, visit www.microsoft.com/ai/responsible-ai