Box held its annual BoxWorks conference this week in San Francisco, announcing a series of AI-driven innovations. The focus was squarely on how Box aims to help organizations manage content and extract more value from their data.

The company has taken advantage of a significant shift in enterprise data management that has been driven by advancements in large language models; this has enabled Box to continually add AI capabilities to support the content lifecycle. Box estimates that 90% of the data in an enterprise is unstructured, with the majority of that being content. Traditionally, systems have not been able to realize the full value of enterprise data, relegating it to silos and “black holes.”

Aaron Levie, cofounder and CEO at Box, explained this is changing because of the company’s Intelligent Content Management platform. Customers will be able to “leverage the data inside their files to drive innovation, automate processes and secure their most important information at a fraction of the cost of legacy systems,” according to Levie.

Box Studio: No-Code Agents

Box introduced Box AI in mid-2023 and has since integrated its AI features across the platform, including the recently announced general availability of Box Hubs. Now, Box AI Studio sits at the heart of the company’s AI strategy. Introduced at BoxWorks and available in January 2025, this no-code feature will allow organizations to tailor AI to their specific needs. Administrators can select from various AI models (including those from Microsoft, AWS and Google), create AI agents for workflows and customize them with prompts and parameters—all without coding. Box AI Studio also includes tools to test, deploy and track the performance of different AI agents to ensure effectiveness for various use cases. Security features enable administrators to control access and permissions.

As an example, an HR department could create a “Talent Agent” to optimize its recruitment process for long-term outcomes. A company could customize this agent to align with its hiring guidelines and organizational needs. It could automatically screen resumes, engage with candidates and even help manage employee performance reviews. An agent like this might also identify skills gaps and career paths, helping to create a cohesive employee lifecycle experience.

At the event, Box also introduced Box Apps. This no-code application development environment allows users to create custom applications with features such as dashboards, specialized content views and automated workflows by leveraging AI-powered metadata extraction. By automatically identifying and tagging critical information within documents, Box Apps can help automate complex processes such as contract management, invoice processing and employee onboarding.

Box also announced two new features currently in beta: Box Forms for creating web and mobile forms and Box Doc Gen, which automates document creation by populating templates with data from various sources, including Box Forms, third-party applications and metadata extracted from content within Box. These solutions should help eliminate manual data entry and ensure consistency in document creation.

These advancements demonstrate Box’s commitment to delivering on the promises of its strategic acquisitions. The company recently acquired Alphamoon, an intelligent document processing company, and Crooze, a no-code workflow automation platform. Alphamoon’s technology integrates into the AI-powered metadata extraction capabilities of Box Apps, while Crooze’s influence appears in streamlined workflow automation features. These acquisitions have clearly been a driver in Box’s push from content storage and management to the broader market play of intelligent processing and workflow automation.

Enhanced Security And Compliance

The company made two new security and compliance feature announcements that will be available in beta in January 2025. Box Archive is used for long-term content preservation, which is crucial for meeting many regulatory requirements. The new Content Recovery capability is designed to aid in rapid recovery from ransomware attacks. It provides admins with a dashboard that details the attack’s impact and identifies compromised files. It automatically syncs to Box Drive so businesses can get their content back quickly. With 30% of ransomware demands exceeding $5 million, Content Recovery could be a vital safety net against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

The company has a strong foundation of security with features such as AES 256-bit encryption, granular access controls, AI-powered data-leak prevention and a zero-trust architecture. Box does not directly compete with data protection leaders like Commvault, Veeam or Cohesity. However, it is strategically—and aggressively—advancing its security offerings. These enhancements introduce valuable overlapping features, giving users strong data protection and recovery capabilities within their existing Box environment.

AI And The Box Impact Fund

At BoxWorks, Box also announced the fourth annual installment of the Box Impact Fund, which provides six $25,000 grants to nonprofits pursuing digital transformation projects. (I was a judge for last year’s grants; I wrote about that experience here.) This year, the fund will prioritize projects leveraging AI in child welfare, crisis response and environmental protection. Nonprofits can apply between November 12 and December 9, 2024. This initiative reflects Box’s recognition that nonprofits require the same digital tools and capabilities as enterprises to maximize their impact.

The Future Of Intelligent Content Management

Box’s announcements at BoxWorks 2024 signal a significant shift in the content management landscape, and I believe Box is well-positioned in the sector. The company’s strategic direction shows it is addressing the growing need for organizations to manage and extract value from increasing content volumes while tackling the challenges of data sprawl, security and regulatory compliance. The company’s commitment to empowering both enterprises and nonprofits with these advanced tools looks toward a future where data is not merely stored, but truly understood and leveraged for maximum impact.