improved messaging from Alex

Author: micheleRP

modules/ai-agents/pages/observability/concepts.adoc

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 = Transcripts and AI Observability
-:description: Understand how Redpanda captures execution transcripts using OpenTelemetry.
+:description: Understand how Redpanda captures end-to-end execution transcripts on an immutable distributed log for agent governance and observability.
 :page-topic-type: concepts
 :personas: agent_developer, platform_admin, data_engineer
 :learning-objective-1: Explain how transcripts and spans capture execution flow
 :learning-objective-2: Interpret transcript structure for debugging and monitoring
 :learning-objective-3: Distinguish between transcripts and audit logs
 
-Redpanda automatically captures glossterm:transcript[,transcripts] (also referred to as execution logs or traces) for both AI agents and MCP servers, providing complete glossterm:observability (o11y)[,observability] into how your agentic systems operate.
+Redpanda automatically captures glossterm:transcript[,transcripts] for AI agents, MCP servers, and AI Gateway operations. A transcript is the end-to-end execution record of an agentic behavior. It may span multiple agents, tools, and models and last from minutes to days. Redpanda's immutable distributed log stores every transcript, providing a correct record with no gaps. Transcripts form the keystone of Redpanda's governance for agents.
 
 After reading this page, you will be able to:
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ After reading this page, you will be able to:
 
 == What are transcripts
 
-The AI Gateway and every glossterm:AI agent[,agent] and glossterm:MCP server[] in your Agentic Data Plane (ADP) automatically emit OpenTelemetry traces to a glossterm:topic[] called `redpanda.otel_traces`. These traces provide detailed observability into operations, creating complete transcripts.
+A transcript records the complete execution of an agentic behavior from start to finish. It captures every step — across multiple agents, tools, models, and services — in a single, traceable record. The AI Gateway and every glossterm:AI agent[,agent] and glossterm:MCP server[] in your Agentic Data Plane (ADP) automatically emit OpenTelemetry traces to a glossterm:topic[] called `redpanda.otel_traces`. Redpanda's immutable distributed log stores these traces.
 
 Transcripts capture:
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ Transcripts capture:
 * Error conditions
 * Performance metrics
 
-With 100% sampling, every operation is captured, enabling comprehensive debugging, monitoring, and performance analysis.
+With 100% sampling, every operation is captured with no gaps. The underlying storage uses a distributed log built on Raft consensus (with TLA+ proven correctness), giving transcripts a trustworthy, immutable record for governance, debugging, and performance analysis.
 
 == Traces and spans
 
@@ -322,23 +322,16 @@ Transcripts may contain sensitive information from your tool inputs and outputs.
 
 == Transcripts compared to audit logs
 
-// TODO: Ask SME to review and confirm whether we want to rephrase or change
-// "not designed for audit logging or compliance"
-Transcripts are designed for observability and debugging, not audit logging or compliance.
+Transcripts and audit logs serve different but complementary purposes.
 
 Transcripts provide:
 
+* A complete, immutable record of every execution step, stored on Redpanda's distributed log with no gaps
 * Hierarchical view of request flow through your system (parent-child span relationships)
 * Detailed timing information for performance analysis
 * Ability to reconstruct execution paths and identify bottlenecks
-* Insights into how operations flow through distributed systems
 
-Transcripts are not:
-
-* Immutable audit records for compliance purposes
-* Designed for "who did what" accountability tracking
-
-For compliance and audit requirements, use the session and task topics for agents, which provide records of agent conversations and execution.
+Transcripts are optimized for execution-level observability and governance. For user-level accountability tracking ("who initiated what"), use the session and task topics for agents, which provide records of agent conversations and task execution.
 
 == Next steps
 

modules/ai-agents/pages/observability/index.adoc

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 = Transcripts
 :page-layout: index
-:description: Monitor agent and MCP server execution using complete OpenTelemetry traces captured by Redpanda.
+:description: Govern agentic AI with complete execution transcripts built on Redpanda's immutable distributed log.
 
 {description}

modules/ai-agents/pages/observability/ingest-custom-traces.adoc

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 = Ingest OpenTelemetry Traces from Custom Agents
-:description: Configure a Redpanda Connect pipeline to ingest OTEL traces from custom agents into Redpanda for unified observability.
+:description: Configure a Redpanda Connect pipeline to ingest OpenTelemetry traces from custom agents into Redpanda's immutable log for unified governance and observability.
 :page-topic-type: how-to
 :learning-objective-1: Configure a Redpanda Connect pipeline to receive OpenTelemetry traces from custom agents via HTTP and publish them to `redpanda.otel_traces`
 :learning-objective-2: Validate trace data format and compatibility with existing MCP server traces

modules/ai-agents/pages/observability/transcripts.adoc

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 = View Transcripts
-:description: Learn how to filter and navigate the Transcripts interface to investigate execution traces using multiple detail views and interactive timeline navigation.
+:description: Filter and navigate the Transcripts interface to investigate end-to-end agent execution records stored on Redpanda's immutable log.
 :page-topic-type: how-to
 :personas: agent_developer, platform_admin
 :learning-objective-1: Filter transcripts to find specific execution traces
 :learning-objective-2: Use the timeline interactively to navigate to specific time periods
 :learning-objective-3: Navigate between detail views to inspect span information at different levels
 
-Use the Transcripts view to investigate agent, MCP server, and AI Gateway execution traces. Filter by operation type, inspect span details, and trace issues across your agentic systems.
+Use the Transcripts view to investigate end-to-end execution records for agents, MCP servers, and AI Gateway. Each transcript captures the complete lifecycle of an agentic behavior on Redpanda's immutable distributed log. Filter by operation type, inspect span details, and trace issues across your agentic systems.
 
 For conceptual background on spans and trace structure, see xref:ai-agents:observability/concepts.adoc[].