AEM Assets search returning irrelevant or excessive results due to AI Search configuration
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Assets search returns irrelevant, excessive, or unexpected results when AI Search (semantic search) changes how search queries are interpreted. This issue occurs when AI Search expands search intent, applies semantic matching, and changes the default search behavior from exact lexical matching to intent-based results. To resolve the issue, switch the Assets Omnisearch configuration from AI Search to Keyword search and validate search behavior.
Description description
Environment
Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS) - Assets
Issue/Symptoms
- Search results return hundreds of unrelated assets when searching for exact filenames, numeric IDs, product codes, or metadata values.
- Network requests show the
?{}?prefix before the submitted search term. - Specific asset searches return Failed to fetch in the user interface.
- Exact-match searches such as asset IDs or SKU values return broad or irrelevant results.
Root cause
The issue occurs because AI Search (semantic search) becomes enabled through an AEM as a Cloud Service feature rollout. AI Search interprets query intent, expands search results semantically, injects semantic prefixes into Omnisearch requests, and no longer restricts matching to exact lexical values. In some environments, AI Search also contributes to internal search failures that result in Failed to fetch responses. Switching the search mode back to Keyword restores the previous exact-match search behavior.
Resolution resolution
Follow these steps to identify the active search mode and restore expected search behavior:
- Verify whether AI Search is enabled by navigating to Tools
>Assets>Assets Configurations>Assets Omnisearch Configuration and reviewing the configured search mode. - Switch the search mode from AI Search to Keyword and save the configuration.
- Refresh the configuration page and confirm that Keyword remains selected.
- Reproduce the original search by using the same filename, asset ID, SKU, product code, or metadata value that previously returned incorrect results.
- Update the search mode in Assets View by navigating to Settings
>General Settings>Search and selecting Keyword if Assets View is also affected. - Apply consistent search mode settings across development, stage, and production environments when the issue occurs in multiple environments.
- Validate the resolution by confirming that search results are relevant, the
?{}?semantic prefix no longer appears in network requests, and no Failed to fetch errors occur.
When to escalate
- The Assets Omnisearch Configuration page fails to load.
- The search mode cannot be changed from AI Search to Keyword or the configuration does not persist after saving.
- Search results remain irrelevant or excessively broad after switching to Keyword search.
- Search requests continue to return Failed to fetch errors after the configuration change.