How source linking changes whether people actually use an internal AI assistant.
Whether people keep using an internal AI assistant is decided less by accuracy than by whether they can check it. An unsourced answer has to be verified manually, which removes the time saving that justified the tool.
Cite at the claim, not the end
A list of five sources at the bottom tells the reader to go and find which one supports the sentence they doubt. An inline reference on the specific claim, linking to the passage rather than the document, turns verification into a two-second check.
Link to the source, in place
The citation should open the actual document at the relevant section, not the intranet homepage. Showing the quoted passage on hover is even better, because most verification stops there and never needs the full document.
Say when there is no source
An assistant that answers confidently from general knowledge when your documents do not cover the question is the fastest way to lose trust. Explicitly stating that the internal documentation does not answer this is a feature, and it also tells you exactly what to write next.
Track how often people click through to a source. Falling click-through on a system people still use is the signal that trust has been earned.
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