AI readiness checklist: making your PowerPoint presentations AI-friendly

Category

What to do

Document metadata

• Include the file properties: title, author, and keywords.

Structure with headings

• Use built-in slide layouts for titles and body content. Set a clear, unique title on each slide.

Logical hierarchy

• Use a consistent Slide Master. Organize slides in a clear order.

Paragraph formatting

• Use standard text blocks. Avoid floating text boxes or animations for text.

Fonts & styles

• Use consistent fonts and sizes. Avoid excessive effects like WordArt.

Lists

• Use built-in bullet/numbering tools with clear indentation.

Tables

• Use native table tools. Avoid screenshots or complex merged cells.

Images

• Add descriptive alt text to all images. Keep visuals simple and meaningful.

Hyperlinks

• Use actual hyperlink features, not underlined text.

Language settings

• Set the document language for the presentation and text where needed.

Page layout

• Use Outline View, slide numbers, and logical groupings.

Clean layout

• Avoid transitions, animations, background graphics, or embedded objects.

Speaker notes

• Add key context in speaker notes if relevant.

PDF export settings

• If exporting to PDF, use “Save as PDF” with accessibility tags enabled.
• Do not use “Print to PDF” tools as this can strip all the formatting from a PDF.