Add AI to Any Automation Step
Turn any automation step into an AI worker that answers questions, writes and rewrites text, creates tasks, and brainstorms ideas from the data flowing through your workflow. The Taskade AI action drops generative AI into a flow without setting up a custom agent.
TL;DR: The Taskade AI action runs as a step inside an automation. It uses 15+ frontier models to answer questions, generate or rewrite text, summarize, translate, and classify, then writes the result back into your flow. See AI Models to pick a model per step.
The Taskade AI action is the lightweight cousin of the full Ask Agent step. It gives you generative AI inside any automation without configuring a custom agent. Behind the scenes it taps the 15+ frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and open-weight providers. For richer reasoning and tool use, graduate to a Custom Agent.
Taskade AI Triggers and Actions
Here are the triggers & actions you can use in your workflows:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Ask AI | Answer questions using data from previous steps or a custom prompt. |
| Generate with AI | Create dynamic content (text, code, outlines, drafts) from context or a prompt. |
| Respond with AI | Craft a reply or decision based on messages or data in the automation. |
| Prompt AI | Send detailed instructions to the model; insert step data for rich context. |
| Categorize with AI | Sort text into preset or custom labels for classification and routing. |
Summarizing, translating, moderating, and sentiment analysis are not separate actions. You do them by giving Generate with AI or Prompt AI the right instruction. For repeatable sorting into a fixed set of labels, reach for Categorize with AI and branch on the result.
Need an agent's memory, custom tools, or a whole team in the automation? Use Ask Agent, Run Agent Command, or Ask Agent Team on the Agent Action page.
Taskade AI Automation Settings
Connector options give you full control over Taskade AI automations.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Action | Choose one of the available Taskade AI workflows to match your use case. |
| Prompt | Input the specific prompt to determine the behavior of Taskade AI. You can type "@" or click ➕ to insert relevant data from the previous automation steps. |
| Input | Provide additional data or context that the AI should consider when generating a response. You can type "@" or click ➕ to insert relevant data dynamically. |
Pick a Model on Every Step
The Taskade AI step shows a Model (optional) dropdown right in the step settings. Pick a lightweight model for a routine routing step, swap to a deeper reasoning model for a hard call, and the picker shows the live credit cost beside every model so you can compare before you run.
- Open the Ask AI or Generate with AI step.
- Click the Model (optional) dropdown.
- Pick the model that fits the job. The cost in credits is shown next to each name.
- Leave it on Auto if you want Taskade to choose for you.
The picker is not the same on every step. Ask AI and Generate with AI show the full model menu, the same one you get in chat: Auto at the top, then the speed and reasoning tiers, then an All Models list of every model Taskade offers. Respond with AI, Prompt AI, and Categorize with AI keep a short curated list of three OpenAI models instead, since they are built for one repeatable job each.
Mix providers inside one automation. Use a cheap model for a routing step, then hand off to a deeper reasoning model for the final answer. See AI Models & Credit Costs for the tier breakdown.
Example from the field. A logistics operator parses inbound shipping emails with a lightweight model, then branches: routine shipments clear on their own, and only the exceptions get a deeper model for judgment. Most of the volume costs almost nothing, and the hard calls still get the best reasoning.
Every Taskade AI action draws from your workspace AI credit pool. The one exception is a space that stores its own AI provider keys: a step that pins a model from a provider you connected runs on that account instead and spends no credits. When a step just needs to reshape data, like formatting a date, pulling a field out of JSON, or converting a CSV, use a utility action instead. Utilities run instantly and cost no AI credits.
Related guides
- Agent Action. Full custom-agent version
- AI Categorize. AI-powered classification
- Structured Output. Typed AI responses
- AI Models. Choose from 15+ frontier models
- Automations: Overview. Where AI actions fit in the Execution layer