The information your metadata fields need is usually already on the asset: in the file name, the folder it sits in, the transcript or the comments. AI Metadata Enrichment gets it from there into your fields. You pick an asset, or several, choose the fields to fill, and Iconik suggests a value for each one. If the answer isn't on the asset, the field stays empty.
It works in two stages:
- Generate suggestions. Choose your assets and fields, and start the job. It runs in the background while you keep working.
- Review and save. Check the suggestions, edit any that need it, and save them, one asset at a time or a whole batch at once. If you don't need to check them, auto-accept saves the suggestions as soon as they're ready.
Every value saved this way is marked as AI-generated, so you can always tell it apart from values entered by people.
Your admin sets up which fields you can fill and tells the AI what each one is for. If a field you need isn't set up, or its suggestions keep missing the mark, talk to your admin so they can adjust it. This page walks you through generating and reviewing suggestions. For setup, see AI Metadata Enrichment.
Roles
These are the roles that are needed:
- Can trigger metadata ai filling
- Can read metadata values
- Can write metadata values
- Can read jobs
- Can write jobs
Quick start: your first run
This walks you through enriching a few assets from search. Steps 1 and 2 generate the suggestions, and steps 3 and 4 review and save them.
1. Select your assets
In your search results, select the assets you want to enrich. Open the ⋯ menu, or right click one of the selected assets, and choose Generate metadata with AI.
2. Choose the fields and generate
Choose the metadata view, then tick the fields you want suggestions for, or all of them at once. Leave Auto-accept AI-generated metadata off, so you can check the suggestions before they're saved. Click Generate AI metadata. A message confirms that the job is running in the background, and you can carry on working.
3. Find your job and check a few assets
Go to Admin > AI Metadata Enrichment. Your job is in the list on the left as Bulk metadata filling for assets. Click it to see one row for each asset and how far each one has got. An asset is ready to check when it shows Pending review. For the other statuses, see Job statuses below.
Click an asset. For each field, the current value is on the left and the AI suggestion on the right. Choose the one to keep, edit the suggestion if it needs it, and click Update metadata. The asset then shows as Updated. Use the arrows at the bottom to check a few more the same way.
4. Accept the rest
If the assets you checked look right, click Accept all pending at the top and confirm. The suggestions are saved on all the remaining assets. This replaces any values those fields already have, and can't be undone.
That's it. The values are saved on your assets and marked as AI-generated. The job and each of its assets now show as Updated, and the job leaves the list. Turn on Show handled to see it again.
Details for each step
The quick start covers the most common path. Each section below has the same number as a quick start step and adds the details: other ways to do it, and the settings you can change along the way.
1. Selecting assets
Besides selecting assets in search, you can start from:
- A single asset: click Generate metadata with AI in the Metadata panel or the ⋯ menu.
- A collection or a saved search: every asset in it is included.
Each asset is processed as its own job. In review mode, a job is labelled with where it started: Single, Bulk, Collection or Saved search. Each run uses AI credits, so check with your admin before running it on large collections or saved searches.
2. Choosing fields and generating
Fields with a warning icon (⚠) don't have instructions for the AI yet, so their suggestions are unlikely to be useful. Leave them out and let your admin know.
Show empty fields only leaves fields that already have a value alone. It's only available when you start from a single asset.
Auto-accept AI-generated metadata skips review: suggestions are saved as soon as the job finishes, and the job shows as Auto-updated. It works best for empty fields filled from technical information, such as the file name or folder path, or from a fixed list of drop-down options. Keep reviewing summaries, keywords and other free text.
Important: Auto-accept and Accept all pending replace existing values. If a field already has a value, the suggestion overwrites it without anyone checking it, and this can't be undone.
3. Finding jobs and checking suggestions
Finding a job
Depending on your access, the list can include jobs started by other people. Use the filters at the top to find what you're looking for: User to see a specific user’s jobs, Status or Date Created to narrow the list, or search for an asset name. Handled jobs are hidden until you turn on Show handled.
Checking an asset
When you open an asset in a job:
- No results means the AI didn't find enough information on the asset for that field to provide a suggestion. Keep the current value. If a field is often wrong or empty, tell your admin so they can improve its instructions.
- Editing a suggestion. You can change the text on the AI side before you save it, for example to fix a name or shorten a summary. For drop-down fields, you can pick a different option.
- Discarding the suggestions. If none of the suggestions for an asset are useful, click Discard AI-generated metadata. The suggestions are thrown away, the asset keeps the metadata it already has, and it shows as Discarded.
- Only you can act on your suggestions. Others, including admins, may see your jobs if they have access, but they can't accept or discard your suggestions.
- Suggestions you don't review are removed after 30 days. Your existing values aren't affected.
4. Saving
Update metadata saves your choices on the asset you're looking at.
Accept all pending and Discard all pending act on every asset in a bulk job that's still waiting for review. They're available once every asset in the job has been processed and show Pending review. Accept all pending replaces existing values, as described in the warning above.
Job statuses
Review mode shows each job's status in terms of what you need to do next.
Shown in the list
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting, Ready, Started or Paused | The job is queued or running. Started shows its progress. | Wait. You can check the assets once they show Pending review. |
| Pending review | Suggestions are ready. | Check them, then save or discard. |
| Failed | Something went wrong with generating the suggestions. Open the job to see why. | If the AI service was busy, try again in a little while. Otherwise, try again, and contact your admin if it keeps failing. |
Shown when Show handled is on
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Updated | You reviewed the suggestions and saved them. |
| Auto-updated | The suggestions were saved with auto-accept, without review. |
| Discarded | The suggestions were thrown away. The asset's existing metadata was kept. |
| Finished with warning | The job finished, but some fields had issues. Open the job to see which fields |
| Skipped | There was nothing to suggest and therefore nothing to review. |
| Aborted or Abort pending | The job was cancelled, or is being cancelled. |
How AI values are marked
Every saved value records where it came from:
| Marked as | Meaning |
|---|---|
| This field was filled with AI | Saved with auto-accept, not reviewed by anyone |
| This field was partially filled with AI | Reviewed and saved without changes, per asset or with Accept all pending |
| (no mark) | Entered or edited by a person, including suggestions edited before saving |
An AI mark appears as a small icon next to a metadata field that was filled out with AI. Hover it to see the information text.
FAQ
Why can't I see Generate metadata with AI?
You don't have access yet. Ask your admin to give you access.
Why has Generate metadata with AI changed to a review button?
You can only have one set of suggestions waiting on an asset at a time. While you do, the button takes you to review them instead. Other people can still generate their own suggestions for the same asset. To generate new suggestions yourself, save or discard the ones that are waiting first.
Does it cost anything?
Each run uses AI credits from your account. Check with your admin before running it on large collections or saved searches.
Why did a field come back empty?
There wasn't enough information on the asset. This is expected. Adding a transcript often helps.
Why weren't some assets in a bulk job processed?
Assets you can't edit are skipped.