Integrating AI into Automations

AI adds an intelligent processing layer to Zaps, enabling summarization, generation, classification, extraction, analysis, translation, and smart reformatting. This chapter focuses on when to use built-in vs external AI, how to choose models, and how to prompt effectively.

AI is now used in most automations. The key choices are which AI to use and how to prompt it.

Built-in AI vs External APIs

• Zapier built-in AI: fast setup, good for occasional use, limited control, higher cost at scale.
• External APIs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini): recommended for heavy use, cheaper at scale, full model and parameter control.

All major models are strong. Pick based on:

• Speed (latency)
• Cost (tokens add up)
• Quality (instruction-following)
• Context length (long documents)

Don't over-engineer match model power to task complexity.

Connecting OpenAI to Zapier

Create an API key in your OpenAI account, then add a ChatGPT or OpenAI step in Zapier and paste the key when prompted. Once connected, the integration is ready to use.

ChatGPT Actions in Zapier

For most workflows, the Conversation action is enough. Other actions are available for tasks like sentiment analysis, text classification, image analysis, moderation, or building more advanced agents, but they’re used less often.

Common Pattern

Most AI-powered Zaps follow the same structure: pass variables from the trigger as context, write clear instructions for the AI, receive the output, and then use that result in the next steps. This simple pattern covers about 90% of real-world use cases.