Compass AI is not all-or-nothing. Each module and add-on has its own switch, so your firm can turn AI on where it helps and leave it off where it does not. This guide shows administrators where those controls are, what turning something off actually does, and how to limit who sees an AI feature rather than removing it entirely.
Where the controls are
All Compass AI features are switched on and off from one page.
Go to Settings > General.
Open the AI Settings tab.
You will see AI Configuration, with every AI-enabled module and add-on listed and its own toggle.
Changes take effect immediately. You do not need to raise a request with us to turn a feature on or off.
What you can switch
The list is split into two groups.
Modules — AI inside the core parts of the platform:
Performance Reviews — AI summaries and analysis for performance reviews
Objectives — AI-powered objective suggestions and alignment
Debriefs — AI summaries for project debriefs
Check-ins — AI conversation summaries for check-ins
Fast Feedback — AI analysis of feedback patterns
RemCom — AI-assisted remuneration analysis
Add-ons — AI in the analytical layers on top:
Direct Reports — AI team insights for managers
Leadership Analytics — AI-powered leadership analytics
Performance Intelligence — AI-powered workforce analytics across reviews, objectives and feedback
Custom Review Prompts — custom AI prompts for individual review cycles
What happens when you turn something off
Turning a toggle off stops the AI work for that area. The module itself carries on working exactly as before — people still write reviews, set objectives, give feedback and complete check-ins. What stops is the analysis and generation layered on top.
Two things to note:
Background analysis stops being queued. Much of Compass AI runs as background jobs after data is submitted. When a feature is disabled, those jobs are skipped rather than queued and held, so nothing builds up while it is off.
Existing content is not deleted. Summaries and analysis already generated remain where they are. Turning the feature back on resumes new analysis from that point.
Limiting access instead of switching off
Some AI add-ons have an Access control beside their toggle. This is useful when a feature is valuable but you would rather it were not available to everyone — a leadership analysis, for example, that should sit with department heads rather than the whole firm.
Use Access to scope who can see the feature, and keep the toggle on. If you want the feature gone entirely, use the toggle.
Deciding what to turn off
There is no single right configuration. A few patterns we see:
Starting cautiously. Some firms enable AI in one module first — often Fast Feedback or Objectives — see how people respond, then widen it.
Excluding sensitive areas. RemCom is the most common thing to leave off, since remuneration discussions are often held to a different standard.
Turning something off during a cycle. Perfectly reasonable if a review cycle is at a delicate stage and you would rather reviewers wrote unaided. Turn it back on afterwards.
If you are unsure what a toggle affects, the description beneath each one tells you which behaviour it controls.
Checking the effect
After changing a setting, Settings > Compass AI > Usage Analytics shows what the AI is actually doing. Requests are broken down by module, so you can confirm that a feature you disabled has genuinely stopped generating activity — and see which features are being used most.
For more on that view, see Review adoption with the Compass AI dashboard.
A note on prompts
Switching a feature off is different from changing what it does. If the issue is the output rather than the feature itself — the tone is wrong, or it emphasises the wrong things — editing the prompt is usually the better answer. See Review and update Compass AI prompts.