AI contract management: What CIOs should look for

Imagine a salesperson getting ready for a customer renewal meeting. They need to find the original contract and review its terms. But the information is buried in CRM records and attachments, forcing them to search through multiple documents.

Now imagine they could simply type in their question and get the contract details in seconds. Contracts contain valuable business information, including pricing, payment terms, and past negotiations. AI for contract management helps teams find and use that information — and connects it to the work that follows, from reviewing terms to getting approvals and preparing for renewals.

Foundry’s 2026 State of the CIO research reports that 79% of CIOs are working more closely with business leaders on AI applications. Contracting is a practical place to put that collaboration to work: sales, legal, procurement, and HR all depend on contracts to move business forward.

Docusign is using AI-powered contract management across its own business through its Docusign Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM), its AI contracting platform. The goal is to connect contract information with everyday workflows while keeping people involved in decisions that require judgment.

“AI contract management helps our teams turn what’s inside contracts into action,” said Shanthi Iyer, CIO of Docusign. “Using our own IAM platform, we’re automating routine workflows so people can focus their expertise where it matters most — and stay in control of the decisions. That means less friction for our teams and a better experience for our customers.”

**How does AI contract management work? **

AI contract management combines AI capabilities — such as analyzing contract language and extracting important information — with workflows that help teams create, review, approve, sign, and manage contracts. For example, AI can help flag language that differs from company standards or find a renewal deadline, while connected workflows route the contract or task to the right person.

Docusign delivers these capabilities through IAM. For organizations with complex contracting needs, the platform includes advanced Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) capabilities. Iris, Docusign’s AI engine built specifically for contracts, powers AI-assisted review, an AI assistant, and agents that help teams understand contracts and move work forward. IAM also helps organizations analyze past contracts to prepare for renewals and negotiate better terms.

By making contract data accessible within business systems, IAM helps employees find information and complete tasks faster. A 2026 study by Deloitte and Docusign found that organizations using AI and automated contract workflows saw average efficiency gains of 36%.

Deploying AI and contract automation across the enterprise

Docusign uses its AI and contract automation to help employees find contract information and act on it. Here’s how different areas of the business benefit:

• Sales:

  The

  sales team

  uses natural-language queries to find contract terms and deal history, reporting approximately 50% productivity gains and reclaiming 42,000 hours annually.

• Procureme

  nt:

  Finding supplier contracts now takes under one minute, compared with over eight minutes previously.

• Legal:

  The

  legal team

  uses AI-assisted review and playbooks to flag nonstandard terms, allowing attorneys to spend more time on negotiations.

• HR:

  Integrating IAM with Workday connects contractor statements of work to onboarding, helping

  HR

  get new contractors started with less manual work.

• Customer experience and partner operations:

  The

  customer marketing team

  collects speaker releases and consent forms through IAM, saving roughly 200 hours annually. Partner operations use IAM with Salesforce to initiate due diligence checks, saving 10–15 minutes per review.

What CIOs should look for in an AI contracting platform

Here are some questions to ask when evaluating an AI contracting solution:

• Can it support everyday workflows? Ask for a demonstration of a familiar task, such as reviewing an NDA, routing a sales contract for approval, or preparing for a supplier renewal. Examine how information moves from one step to the next.
• Does it integrate with existing systems? Check how contract data and tasks move between tools such as CRM, procurement, and HR systems — and whether employees can access them where they already work.
• Can it provide appropriate controls and visibility? Examine access permissions and review processes.
• Can you measure its impact? Track process completion times before and after implementation.

Turning contract intelligence into business advantage

CIOs should consider how AI contract management can help their organizations get more value from contracts long after they’re signed. Docusign’s experience demonstrates that contracts can become a valuable source of information for future business decisions.

Discover how Docusign’s AI contracting platform helps teams create, review, sign, and manage contracts—and put contract information to work across the enterprise.