Docusign has transitioned its AI capabilities, moving beyond mere assistance to actively driving agreements forward. This shift was announced during the company’s Momentum conference, where Docusign introduced its AI engine, Iris, evolving into an agent-focused model designed to enhance efficiency in the agreement management process.
Sagnik Nandy, Docusign’s Chief Technology Officer, highlighted the inefficiencies that plague traditional agreement workflows. By embedding AI throughout every stage of the agreement process—from creation to signing to management—Docusign aims to tackle these challenges. “Agreements are very inefficient,” he stated, underscoring the need for a proactive approach in agreement management.
The Iris assistant has been specifically tailored for agreements and is trained on Docusign’s proprietary data, rather than relying solely on generic large language models. This distinction is important, as a model trained on public datasets lacks the contextual understanding required for navigating complex commercial agreements.
Docusign has also developed a suite of AI agents to address specific workflows that have traditionally required extensive communication and collaboration between teams. Tasks such as redlining and contract renewals now have dedicated agents designed to minimize the time agreements sit idle, awaiting human intervention. “You can imagine redlining, renewal—entire flows we have agents for that,” Nandy explained, highlighting the company's commitment to streamlining these processes.
To enhance its agent ecosystem, Docusign has launched Agent Studio, a platform for creating and deploying custom agents that cater to an organization’s specific needs regarding deals and approvals. Nandy elaborated, “The beauty, going beyond standard tools… is that we also infuse your entire agreement context, our domain knowledge, our proprietary consented data advantage—all infused into that process.”
While many tech companies have ventured into similar AI territories, Docusign distinguishes itself in three key areas: its extensive data from over 1.8 million customers, deep integrations with existing tools, and a compliance framework that meets the stringent requirements of 95% of Fortune 500 companies.
For instance, Nandy illustrated the potential complications for a system untrained in the nuances of agreements. A sales contract with multiple amendments might be misinterpreted as separate entities, leading to erroneous interpretations of a company's financial commitments. Docusign claims its advanced understanding of agreements enables it to treat these documents as a cohesive entity rather than disparate files.
Docusign is also expanding its Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) offerings tailored for human resources and sales. The IAM for HR aims to automate the collection of essential data from employee agreements, significantly reducing the burden of repetitive tasks and ensuring organizational systems remain synchronized. This feature includes mobile I-9 verification and integrates with platforms like Workday and Greenhouse.
Meanwhile, IAM for Sales addresses the common challenge faced by sales teams, who often find themselves bogged down by approvals and data entry instead of focusing on closing deals. By embedding itself into systems like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365, Docusign facilitates the generation of agreements and tracks negotiations in one unified interface.
Docusign's CEO, Allan Thygesen, articulated the consequential nature of these developments: “Every business runs on agreements, but until now, they’ve been static records of work that already happened.” He stressed that Docusign’s unique insight into agreement history and relationships empowers businesses to evolve their agreements into dynamic systems that can inform decision-making and advance workflows.
With the announcements surrounding Iris and its new agent capabilities, Docusign is now in a beta phase for select customers. A broader rollout is anticipated in the U.S. starting in July, alongside a beta introduction of IAM for HR next month. This forward-thinking approach positions Docusign not just as a facilitator of agreements but as a catalyst for business efficiency and innovation in the demanding realm of digital transactions.
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