Narrative and Summarize Function not working

[ReuelSantiago]

Hi All,

I have recently been trying to use the summarize function (right click on a visual then click Summarize). I have been using this before and what I expect to happen is after clicking "Custom" on the message that pops up, a text box should appear with automatically generated text. Now I only see an empty textbox. I have been using this functionality since last year and now it doesn't seem to work. The Narrative Visual (formerly Smart Narrative) similarly does not work. Clicking on it just creates an empty text box .

This seems to only affect Power BI Service when trying to connect to a semantic model. I tried loading data into Power BI Desktop and doing Summarize there, and it worked perfectly. And while this can potentially be a workaround, I need the feature to work in Power BI Service.

Did a recent update mess something up?

[iorinhoj]

Same issue for me. I used PBI service Smart narrative for language translation. it will be a HUGE loss if this wont work anymore 😞

[lbendlin]

Can you pinpoint when it stopped working?

[ReuelSantiago]

Hi. I am not sure exactly. I tried using it July 11, 2025, but I know that at around the end of April 2025, the feature was still working.

[lbendlin]

A new version was pushed on sunday - can you check again?

[rohit1991 · Accepted solution]

Hi @ReuelSantiago ,

Many users have reported that the Summarize and Narrative features (including the Narrative visual, formerly Smart Narrative) are no longer generating automatic text in Power BI Service when connected to a semantic model. The issue does not occur in Power BI Desktop, only in the Service, and appears to have started after a recent update from Microsoft.

Workarounds:

• Use Power BI Desktop for summarization, then publish your report if possible.

• Monitor the Power BI Support page and the Microsoft Power BI Community for updates or official fixes.

• You can also raise a support ticket with Microsoft if this is critical for your work.