1. Introduction

1.1 Overview

Acquia AI is a set of capabilities within Source CMS that lets teams get help and delegate work to artificial intelligence (AI) agents. Customers reach Acquia AI through Acquia Source Platform. Acquia AI provides two capabilities through a conversational interface: Advisor Mode and Work Mode.

This guide describes both capabilities as implemented in the current release. It defines what each capability includes, how customers access each capability, the boundaries of the service, and how Acquia handles the data that flows through it.

This guide does not replace the applicable subscription agreement, order form, or the Acquia Master Service Agreement (MSA). If a conflict exists between this guide and the applicable agreement, the agreement controls.

1.2 Who this guide is for

This guide is for Acquia customers, prospective customers, and internal Acquia teams who need to understand the scope of the Acquia AI. It assumes familiarity with Source CMS Platform and general Acquia products.

1.3 Capabilities at a glance

2. Definitions and terminology

The following terms have specific meanings in this guide.

3. Capabilities

Acquia AI provides two capabilities. A customer chooses a capability by choosing an agent when starting a conversation.

3.1 Advisor Mode

Advisor Mode provides answers grounded in Acquia knowledge. When a customer starts a new Acquia AI conversation, Acquia Advisor is available to answer questions about Acquia products, Drupal, product documentation, common troubleshooting, and general Acquia account and support processes, and can help a customer create a support request. Advisor Mode does not make changes to a customer's applications. Advisor Mode is described in Section 4.

3.2 Work Mode

Work Mode provides a preconfigured agent that can use a customer's uploaded resources and perform actions in the customer's Acquia environment. In the current Early Access state, an agent makes changes only in a sandbox Source CMS CMS environment that Acquia provisions for the customer. It does not make changes in a customer's production environment.

In Early Access, Acquia provides a default project and a default agent. A customer cannot create custom projects or agents in Early Access. Work Mode is available to Early Access participants only. Work Mode is described in Section 5.

4. Advisor Mode

4.1 Acquia Advisor

When a customer starts a new Acquia AI conversation, Acquia Advisor is available to answer questions grounded in Acquia knowledge. The customer does not need to configure an agent before asking a question.

4.2 Answer coverage

Advisor Mode answers Acquia-specific questions grounded in the Acquia knowledge base. The following are examples, not a complete list:

• Acquia product guidance, for example "What file types does Acquia Digital Asset Management (DAM) support?"
• Drupal guidance.
• Product documentation questions, with related Acquia documentation shown as source cards.
• General troubleshooting guidance, for example "What are common causes of a 503 on Acquia Cloud Platform?"
• General Acquia account and support processes, for example how to find invoices or how to file a support ticket.

4.3 Related documentation

When Advisor returns related Acquia documentation, the service presents the documentation as source cards in the conversation. When a customer selects a card, the Acquia documentation page opens in the Acquia AI sidebar. The customer stays in the conversation context.

4.4 Support handoff

When self-service guidance is not enough, Advisor points the customer to the Acquia-owned Support path. Advisor presents guidance and clickable links the customer can use to reach Support. Advisor does not create a support ticket or case on the customer's behalf. The customer contacts Support through the provided links. Support handoff does not change a customer's underlying support entitlement.

4.5 Conversation continuity

Advisor Mode preserves a customer's Acquia AI conversation history. A customer who reopens a prior conversation sees the prior thread and can continue the conversation.

4.6 What Advisor Mode does not do

• Advisor Mode does not create, update, deploy, publish, delete, restart, scale, or reconfigure any customer application or infrastructure.
• Advisor Mode does not inspect a customer's live environment to diagnose a specific issue. Advisor Mode answers "What are common causes of a 503 on Acquia Cloud Platform?" but does not inspect a customer site to answer "Why is my site returning 503s right now?"
• Advisor Mode does not use project resources, uploaded files, agent resources, or Acquia product tools.

5. Work Mode

Availability: Work Mode is available to Early Access participants only and is an Early Access capability. The features in this section describe the current implementation and may change before general availability.

5.1 Agents

An agent works on a customer's behalf. An agent has a role, a description, and one or more specialties, and belongs to a project. An agent is based on a predefined role.

In Early Access, Acquia provides a default project and a default pre-configured agent based on the Site builder role. Creating custom projects or agents is not available in Early Access. See Section 12.3.

The current role is:

5.2 Projects

A project is the container for Work Mode. It holds the agent and resources, and controls which users in the organization can access them.

5.3 Resources

A resource is an item an agent can use to complete a task. In Early Access, the following resource types are available:

The Files resource is for text-based documents, such as brand guidelines and content specifications. It is separate from the media an agent creates when it builds a site. See Section 5.5.

The interface also shows Websites, Text, and Memory resource types and a Settings screen. These are not available in Early Access, and their controls are disabled. See Section 12.3.

Agent access controls. A customer controls which agents can access each resource, and can turn a resource on or off for a given agent. An agent can use only the resources it is permitted to use. Broader role-based access control is limited in Early Access. See Section 12.3.

5.4 Tools and actions

The agent comes preconfigured with the tools it needs to build and manage sites on Source CMS CMS. A customer does not add, register, or configure agent tools in Early Access. Using its preconfigured tools, the agent can read information from and make changes in the customer's provisioned Source CMS CMS environment, following the approval model in Section 5.6.

The one connection a customer can set up is Slack. A customer can connect a Slack workspace so the agent can post messages to a chosen channel (see Section 5.3). Other tools and connections cannot be configured in Early Access.

5.5 Site building on Source CMS CMS

An agent creates and changes sites in a sandbox Source CMS CMS environment that Acquia provisions for the customer (not in production). Working from a customer's request, an agent based on the Site builder role can:

• Create and manage sites. List existing sites, view site details, and create a new Source CMS CMS site.
• Model content. Create content types, add and configure fields, and set up content workflows.
• Create content. Create and update content, including pages and structured content. New content is created in draft. Publishing is always a separate step that requires approval.
• Build pages with Drupal Canvas. Create and lay out Canvas pages, add and arrange page components from the design system, and build custom Canvas components when a page needs them.
• Manage media. Add images, documents, and files to the site media library, and embed video. The agent uses assets stored on the site rather than external links. Site media is separate from the Files resource in Section 5.3.
• Organize taxonomy and navigation. Create taxonomy terms and vocabularies, and add pages to navigation menus.
• Meet build quality standards. The Site builder role builds pages to accessibility (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, 2.1 Level AA), performance, SEO, responsive design, and brand-consistency standards.
• Use uploaded guidance. When a customer uploads brand guides, design specifications, or wireframes as resources, the agent uses them to inform the structure, styling, and content it creates.
• Report on a site. Produce accessibility audits, SEO analyses, and governance reviews.

All of this work follows the approval model in Section 5.6: content is created in draft, and publishing a site or page requires customer approval.

5.6 How Work Mode handles a request

Work Mode separates read requests from requests that make changes.

• Read requests. For a request that only reads information, such as "list my sites," the agent runs the request and returns the result.
• Change requests. For any request that makes a change, Acquia AI first presents a plan that describes what it will do. The agent does not make the change until the customer approves the plan. The customer can approve the plan, ask for a revision, or cancel. For work with several steps, Acquia AI can pause for review so the customer can verify progress before it continues. Some actions always require approval and cannot be skipped. One example is publishing an Source CMS CMS site.

This human review before an agent takes an action is the human-in-the-loop governance principle. Approval is the specific step the customer takes.

An agent works only within the resources and tools it is permitted to use, and only in the Acquia environments the customer has connected and authorized.

5.7 What Work Mode requires

• Work Mode requires Early Access.
• An agent requires a project.
• An action in a customer's Acquia environment requires the customer to connect the relevant Acquia product or system as a resource and to authorize it.

6. Access and entitlements

6.1 Advisor Mode access

Advisor Mode is available with all Acquia Cloud subscriptions. Any authenticated Source CMS organization user can open Advisor Mode. A customer does not need Work Mode Early Access to use Advisor Mode.

6.2 Work Mode access

Work Mode is enabled by entitlement only. Acquia enables Work Mode for customers who are registered with Acquia in the Acquia AI Early Access program. A customer who is not registered cannot use Work Mode. Such a customer may request access by contacting the customer's Acquia representative, and can use Work Mode only after Acquia grants the entitlement.

A customer without Work Mode entitlement can use Advisor Mode and can view historical conversations the customer is authorized to see. For a customer without Work Mode entitlement:

• Work agents are not selectable.
• Non-Advisor Work surfaces, such as project resources and Work actions, are hidden or unavailable.
• Existing Work Mode conversations are read-only.

6.3 Default project provisioning

Acquia AI requires a project container.

For Advisor Mode, if an eligible organization has no existing Acquia AI project, Acquia AI provides a default container so the customer can start using Advisor Mode without manual setup. This default container does not create an agent and does not grant Advisor Mode access to project resources or tools.

For Work Mode, Early Access participants receive a default project and a default agent based on the Site builder role, so they can start without manual setup. Creating custom projects or agents is not available in Early Access.

6.4 Cost and billing

Advisor Mode is free and is available with all Acquia subscriptions. For Work Mode pricing and availability, customers should contact their Acquia representative to learn more.

7. Service boundaries

7.1 Advisor Mode boundaries

Advisor Mode provides guidance only. See Section 4.6.

7.2 Work Mode boundaries

An agent acts only within the resources and tools it is permitted to use, and only in Acquia environments the customer has connected and authorized. An agent does not access resources outside its project. An agent does not make a change in a customer's environment until the customer approves the plan for that change. See Section 5.6.

7.3 Answer and output quality

Acquia AI generates answers and completes tasks using AI. Output may be incomplete or may not fit a customer's specific situation. Customers are responsible for reviewing output before they rely on it, and for reviewing any change an agent proposes before approving it. Because Acquia AI is in Early Access, behavior and coverage may change. [Confirm: the disclaimer language Legal requires for AI-generated output and for actions taken by an agent.]

7.4 Known limitations

Acquia AI is an Early Access release. It may contain defects or errors, may be unavailable or interrupted, and may change without notice. It may produce output that is inaccurate, incomplete, or not suited to a customer's specific needs.

Acquia AI is provided on an as-is and as-available basis, without warranties of any kind except as stated in the applicable agreement. It is not covered by a service-level agreement (SLA). Customers should review Acquia AI output and any proposed action before relying on it, and should not use Acquia AI for production-critical or business-critical purposes without independent review.

8. Data handling and privacy

8.1 What data flows through the service

When a customer uses Acquia AI, the following data is processed:

• The customer's messages and conversation content.
• Conversation history and conversation metadata retained in Acquia AI.
• In Work Mode, the content of resources a customer connects, including uploaded files, crawled website content, and data returned by connected Acquia products or connectors.
• Identifiers used to associate a conversation with the customer's Acquia AI record.

8.2 How Acquia processes conversation content

Acquia AI sends customer messages to an Acquia-managed backend service. 

For Advisor Mode, the backend service processes the request through the Acquia knowledge service and returns the answer in the Acquia AI interface. To limit the data used to answer a question, an Advisor request sends only the customer's question. When a customer continues a support request, Acquia AI sends only the information needed for the next step.

8.3 Data retention

Upon request made by Customer within 7 days of termination or expiration of the Subscription Services, Acquia will make Customer Data available to Customer for export or download. At the end of such 7-day period, Acquia will delete or otherwise render inaccessible any Customer Data, unless legally prohibited. Acquia has no obligation to retain the Customer Data for Customer purposes after this 7-day post termination period.

8.4 Customer responsibilities

Customers are responsible for how they use Acquia AI and for the content they enter or upload. Use of Acquia AI is governed by the Acquia AI User Guidelines and Policy. Under those guidelines, customers should not share personal data with Acquia AI, should verify important information independently because AI output can be inaccurate or outdated, and should not rely on Acquia AI for medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. Customers remain accountable for their use of the output and must comply with all applicable laws.

9. Subprocessors

Acquia AI uses Acquia-managed services to generate answers and complete tasks. Advisor Mode is powered by Acquia knowledge.

Note for legal review: Confirm which sub-processors support Acquia AI, confirm that each appears on the Acquia sub-processor list, and confirm the disclosure language required for a capability in Early Access. This guide does not name individual sub-processors in customer-facing text. Sub-processor disclosure is handled through the Data Processing Addendum (DPA) and the Acquia sub-processor list.

10. Support

10.1 Support for Acquia AI

Acquia AI is an Early Access release and is not covered by a service-level agreement (SLA). The service-level commitments that apply to generally available Acquia products do not apply to Acquia AI in Early Access.

10.2 Support handoff from Advisor Mode

Advisor Mode can guide a customer toward the Acquia-owned Support path. The support a customer receives after handoff follows the customer's existing Acquia support plan.

11. Security and compliance

11.1 Early Access security posture

Acquia AI is in Early Access. [Confirm with Legal and Security: the compliance statements approved for external publication for Acquia AI in Early Access, including the compliance certification roadmap and its timing. Do not publish specific certifications or dates until Security confirms them.]

11.2 Secure login with Acquia ID

Access to Acquia AI requires an authenticated Acquia ID login.

Source CMS supports phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Acquia ID logins. This feature supports FIDO2 (WebAuthn) authenticators, such as security keys (like YubiKey) and biometric methods (like fingerprint or facial recognition).

For details, see the Acquia ID product privacy notice.

11.3 Unified access with Source CMS

Acquia provides Source CMS as a unified user interface for authorized users to authenticate, view, and access Acquia's core products, add-ons, and support resources. Source CMS is powered by Acquia ID, enabling a single sign-on (SSO) experience across the Acquia ecosystem.

11.4 Work Mode authorization

An agent acts within the customer's provisioned Source CMS CMS environment under the customer's authenticated Acquia ID session. For a connected external system such as Slack, the agent uses the access the customer grants when connecting it, and the customer can revoke that access at any time.

12. Early Access status and scope

12.1 Early Access acknowledgment

Acquia AI, including Advisor Mode and Work Mode, is an Early Access release. It is not a generally available (GA) service and is not covered by a service-level agreement (SLA). Work Mode is available to Early Access participants only. Acquia provides Early Access functionality so customers can use and give feedback on early capabilities. Early Access functionality is provided as is, without warranties beyond those stated in the applicable agreement. Acquia may change, limit, or discontinue Early Access functionality at any time.

12.2 In scope for the current release

Advisor Mode:

• Acquia Advisor agent in Advisor mode
• Answers about Acquia products, Drupal, documentation, troubleshooting, and general Acquia processes.
• Related Acquia documentation as source cards.
• Support handoff guidance.
• Persistent conversation history.
• Access that does not require Work Mode entitlement.
• Default project provisioning.

Work Mode (Early Access):

• A default project and a default agent based on the Site builder role.
• Site building and management on Source CMS CMS, including content modeling, content and page creation with Drupal Canvas, taxonomy, navigation, and accessibility, performance, and SEO quality standards. See Section 5.5.
• Resources of type files (supported file types only), Acquia, and connectors, including a Slack connector.
• Per-agent access controls that let a customer turn resource access on or off for an agent.
• Connected-environment actions that require customer approval of a plan before any change.

12.3 Out of scope for the current release

The following are not part of the current release.

Advisor Mode:

• Native support ticket or case creation inside the conversation.
• First-use AI disclosure notice.
• Organization-level AI opt-out and opt-out audit logging.

Work Mode:

• Custom project and agent creation. In Early Access, Acquia provides a default project and a default agent. A customer cannot create additional projects or custom agents.
• Detailed, customer-facing audit trails. Acquia maintains internal logging capabilities, but customer-facing audit trails are not part of Early Access.
• Full role-based access control. Early Access provides per-agent access controls for resources, which a customer can turn on or off. Broader role-based access control is not part of Early Access.
• Building on Acquia products other than Source CMS CMS. Work Mode site building in Early Access is scoped to Source CMS CMS.
• Image upload in the Files resource, and file types other than PDF, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, TXT, and MD. This does not affect media an agent creates when it builds a site.
• The Websites, Text, and Memory resource types. These are shown in the interface but are disabled in Early Access.
• Configuration through the Settings screen. The Settings screen is shown in the interface but is disabled in Early Access.
• Agent memory and persistent memory, including the agent memory features planned for later releases.
• Reusable, saved, or scheduled workflows and automations.
• Connectors other than Slack, and connected products beyond those confirmed for Early Access.
• The final Work Mode entitlement and governance model.

Items that are out of scope for the current release may be delivered in a later release. This guide will be updated as the product changes.

Acquia AI Product Guide