Introducing Sitecore Stream: AI-Driven Marketing for a Smarter, More Brand-Aligned Future
Nov 20, 2024 • 2 Minute Read • Deepthi Katta, Technical Director
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Current State of Digital Experience Platform AI Today: What Sitecore Stream Can Do for Marketers
Jun 02, 2025 • 8 Minute Read • Elizabeth Spranzani, Chief Technology Officer
With all the AI hype, one question matters most for marketers, content managers, and digital strategists: What can AI do for us right now?
Over the years, cloud-native SaaS has transformed content management platforms, enabling centrally hosted infrastructure, continuous upgrades, and faster innovations—no more waiting months (or years) for new features to deploy.
Today, AI has become a core part of that evolution, already embedded in workflows and rolling out across major platforms.
To make sense of this, it helps to look at the current phases of AI development as they play out across digital platforms:
- Generative AI creates content, code, or campaign structures using large language models (LLMs).
- Contextual AI provides suggestions and decisions that are aware of your brand, business rules, and content.
- Agentic AI automates multi-step actions based on defined goals and inputs in early-stage systems.
And if you're wondering, agentic systems typically include the ability to configure the following:
- A defined purpose or use case
- Instructions or guidelines for behavior
- Access to source data or content for context
- Defined actions the agent can take
In this article, we'll explore how Sitecore is using AI today and where the industry is going next. Whether you're evaluating platforms or trying to get more out of the one you have, knowing how Sitecore approaches AI can help you make smarter, more strategic decisions.
For Sitecore, the goal is to accelerate AI innovation from a slow drip to a steady stream, literally. At the core, Sitecore Stream will serve as both an AI hub and an orchestration layer across the Sitecore ecosystem. It combines Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service-Powered copilots, brand-aware content generation, and early foundations for agentic workflows.
But how much of this is ready for the real world of marketing—and how much is still aspirational?
Before we dive a little deeper, here's the short answer: Sitecore Stream is still in its early stages, but Sitecore is setting a solid AI foundation.
Our Take on Sitecore's Early AI Features
Sitecore's generative capabilities for generic content creation in Experience Platform (XP), XM Cloud, and its content marketing platform (CMP) are pretty good, and on par with what we're seeing across other content management systems (CMS).
The translation support in XM Cloud and CMP is a useful touch. However, outside of Stream's brand assistant app, there's no unified chat assistant across the suite yet. AI functionality is explicitly built into specific features.
Sitecore stands out with some unique early features, including visual search in the digital asset management (DAM) system and a surprisingly robust project orchestration system that hints at agentic AI, suggesting tasks based on project context.
Sitecore has a freemium version of Stream in which all of this is included, which is a unique differentiator from its competitors.
On the premium side, users can set up a highly detailed brand kit, which informs both AI copilots and conversational brand assistants. Sitecore's brand kit setup goes deeper than competitors, letting users define voice, style rules, and even auto-configure fields by uploading brand source documents.
These are early steps toward agentic AI, though you can't create new agents or define their actions right now.
There are current limitations worth noting.
The brand assistant is limited and doesn't interact with the project orchestration system. While it can discuss what a campaign might look like and provide a generic campaign brief, it cannot automatically set up your projects or tasks. However, Sitecore says that's just weeks away.
Long-form content tools are starting to roll out, enabling brainstorming for blog posts and similar content. Depending on timing, they may already be live by the time you read this.
Looking ahead, Sitecore plans to support linking the brand kit to Content Hub, as it already does with XM Cloud. That integration isn't available yet, but it's on the roadmap.
The bottom line is that Stream is heading toward being fully agentic. We recommend getting hands-on with the tool now, especially with the free version, to take advantage of new features as they launch.
So, where does Sitecore really stand in the AI landscape, and what does that mean for marketers and developers today?
Stream-Powered AI, Available Today
Sitecore's approach to AI starts with Stream, a subscription-based AI layer that's gradually weaving its way through XM Cloud, XP, Content Hub, and beyond. Currently managed through its own app (with deeper integration on the roadmap), Stream enables users to tap into AI features without constantly switching tools.
At its core, Stream provides:
- Generative copilots that optimize copy, summarize content, adjust tone, and translate fields directly in the authoring interface
- Brand copilots and assistants that tap into uploaded brand kits to help marketers generate on-brand content and campaign briefs
- Visual search and grounded image tagging to streamline asset discovery in Content Hub without relying on metadata
- AI orchestration for project management, where tasks and deliverables are suggested based on brand kits and project goals
And while agentic AI—autonomous systems that execute multi-step actions—isn't fully live yet, Stream's Projects and Tasks feature set lays the groundwork.
As noted earlier, agents are not modifiable today. Additionally, users cannot yet make their own agents, but eventually this feature will be available.
Brand-Aware AI with Advanced Admin Controls
One of Sitecore's standout features is its handling of brand intelligence. Unlike platforms that allow you to define tone or choose from a list of writing styles, Sitecore Stream enables deep, structured brand setup.
You can upload your brand guidelines, like PDF documents, in the Stream admin interface. You can also manually add them.
The platform digests them, then parses the document and automatically extracts structured brand metadata across several dimensions, including:
- Brand context (mission, values, audience, essence)
- Do's and don'ts
- Tone of voice and contextual tone scenarios
- Grammar and visual guidelines
- Image style preferences (e.g., composition, lighting, iconography)
- SEO and accessibility mandates
- A checklist to ensure compliance with internal content standards
As the assets are ingested, the Brand Assistant and Stream's other AI tools can leverage them to generate truly on-brand content, responses, and creative briefs.
While this level of AI alignment isn't entirely unique in the market, Sitecore's admin interface and ingestion are so robust and intuitive compared to other available platforms that marketers will likely appreciate the intuitive design and depth of control.
Freemium and Premium: What's Available to Everyone
It's worth noting that not all AI features are locked behind a paywall. With freemium access, Sitecore users can still take advantage of:
- AI-powered content generation and optimization in XM Cloud, XP, and Content Hub
- Visual search of assets using image-based queries in Content Hub DAM
- Task and deliverable orchestration via the Stream project management layer
The brand-aware layer—such as applying your own brand kit, generating on-brand content variants, and image tagging grounded in business context—requires a premium Stream subscription. This tier is priced at ~15% of the overall Sitecore license and includes a fair use policy capped at 50,000 interactions per year. You can track usage and entitlements through a built-in Entitlement Dashboard.
Orchestrating Projects with AI: More Than Just Content
Perhaps the most underappreciated innovation within Sitecore's AI rollout is its AI-driven orchestration engine for project management.
Available even in the freemium tier, Stream's "My Day," "Projects," and "Assistant" modules help teams centralize campaign planning, delegate tasks, and maintain momentum across channels and products.
Users can:
- Create, manage, assign, and link tasks across multiple projects
- View workflows via List, Kanban, Timeline, and Funnel visualizations
- Leverage AI to suggest new tasks or deliverables based on project context and brand kits
- Track risks, deadlines, and progression from a unified interface
This level of orchestration goes beyond UI improvement and lays the groundwork for Sitecore's long-term agentic AI vision, where systems can take action and adapt plans independently. It also means you don't need to own the Sitecore CMP product to manage campaigns unless you need more advanced features.
Examples of Task Suggestions
How is Sitecore's Portfolio Integrating with Stream AI?
Copilots in the Field: XM Cloud, Content Hub, XP, and More
Curious how copilots are integrating with XM Cloud, Content Hub, Customer Data Platform (CDP), and more? Here's how the features play out in real use cases:
XM Cloud (Sitecore's SaaS CMS)
- AI content optimization at the component level
- Personalized content variants for audience-specific experiences
- A/B/n testing of AI-generated content
- Brand intelligence support for on-brand copy
- Translation at the field level (page level coming soon)
Content Hub (CMP + DAM)
- Visual search based on image metadata, color, and visual cues
- Image tagging grounded in brand context
- AI-assisted content generation in text fields
- Translation and localization (field-level, with page-level coming soon)
XM/XP (Sitecore's non-SaaS CMS version 10.2 or later, via subscription, not perpetual license)
- Generative content creation in RTEs and single-line fields
- Brand-aware guidance applied via linked brand kits
- Access to the SaaS Stream app features in the portal as you would with XM Cloud
Search
- AI-generated Q&A: Natural language queries return precise, intent-driven answers sourced from indexed content
- Designed to provide conversational experiences instead of traditional search result listings
Content Data Platform (CDP)
- Gensights: An AI-powered dashboard that delivers real-time insights and recommendations for campaign optimization
- Helps marketers discover what's working and what needs attention without diving into raw analytics
These Stream features help distinguish Sitecore as more than just a CMS with AI add-ons. Instead, it's becoming an orchestrated platform where intelligent systems copilot content, data, assets, and strategy.
What's Next: A Glimpse at the Stream Roadmap
While Stream already delivers a wide range of capabilities, Sitecore's roadmap includes:
- Expanded integration across all cloud products—no more app switching
- More agentic features in project orchestration
- Deeper translation tooling with feedback loops for accuracy
- Semantic and deep search
- Agent-assisted content auditing
- AI-written code via natural language prompts in Personalize
- Auto-generated SXA components and templates
- Long-form content generation
Final Thoughts: Adding Stream to Your Marketing Team Today
Sitecore is making deliberate moves toward a more intelligent, orchestrated digital experience platform. While many platforms boast about "AI features, few offer the structured brand intelligence and cross-product task orchestration that Sitecore is putting into the hands of marketers today, with several aspects available for free.
Yes, some agentic capabilities are still on the horizon, but the groundwork is in place.
For brands invested in Sitecore, start experimenting now, especially with Stream's freemium features.
Once you add it, it will start acting like it's been on your marketing team for years. Your workflows, content operations, and digital performance stand to benefit not only in the future but also right now.
Curious about what Sitecore Stream can do for you? Let's explore how you can start using it today and get ahead of what's coming next.