AI blocks make up the central AI features across the monday platform. AI blocks can be used in AI Columns, Automations, and in the workflow builder. 

Where to access AI automations and columns

First things first: where can you find all of these amazing time-saving automations? There are  actually several ways to access AI automations and columns:

• AI-powered column actions - you can directly access AI blocks from your board by clicking on the three dot menu on the right side of any column and clicking on one of the AI-powered actions that are listed for that particular column

You'll then be able to configure exactly what you want to do.

• Column Center - navigate to the Column Center by clicking on the plus sign on the right end of the group you want to add the column to, then click on More columns.
  
  Next, click on the AI-powered tab on the left side menu. Now you can browse through all the amazing AI columns available to you.

• Board automation center - navigate to the board automation center by clicking on the Automate button on the top right of your board.
  Then click Create automation → Create from scratch. In the What would you like to automate? text area, describe what you want to automate (up to 500 characters).

Tip: AI automation templates are intended for those who are looking for solutions for more complex workflows. Using AI automation templates will allow you to add multiple steps and change variables that may not be available in the pre-made AI-powered columns.

Prompt preview 

When filling out your AI prompt, you will be given a preview of what your result is going to look like. Using this feature, you can make any adjustments as needed to make sure you get the exact result you're looking for.

Look for the Preview AI results on the left side panel to see what the prompt will generate and tweak as needed.

Available AI blocks

There are many AI action blocks that you can use throughout the monday platform. You can use them in your columns, as automations, and also within the workflow builder.

Here are the different action block categories you can choose from:

• Assign labels
• Summarize text
• Improve text 
• Detect a sentiment
• Translate text
• Writing assistant
• Extract information
• Generate docs 
• Custom block
• Custom block: Web search feature

Assign labels

When Assign labels is triggered, the AI block will read the text in the designated field on your board and determine which label (if you're using a status column) or labels (if you're using a dropdown column) are the best match.

Summarize text

You can add the Summarize block to add a summary of a column that includes very long text. You can give exact instruction in the prompt, so you can choose the length, tone, and purpose of the summary.

Improve text

You can add the Improve text give text a more polished feel as well as to correct grammar and typos. You can choose between adding minimal, moderate, or high changes, a specific length, and type of tone.

Tip: This automation block can work with any language, but works best with English.

Detect sentiment

With the Detect sentiment, the sentiment of the text on your board will be automatically detected to be either Positive, Negative, or Neutral.

Translate text

With the Translate text bloc, your chosen text will be translated into the specified language you've chosen.

Writing assistant

Writing assistant will help you write text based on instructions you give and any inputs you include from your board. You can choose the tone and length of the final text.

Extract Information

Extract Info automatically extracts and organizes key information from files like invoices, resumes, or contracts. Information can also be extracted from text columns, monday docs, and images.

You can also extract information from multiple files. If you're extracting from a monday doc, you need to upload it into a Files column as information cannot be extracted directly from a monday Docs column.

Generate docs

Generate docs with AI will allow you to generate a unique and tailor-made document based on information from the board. You can generate marketing briefs, social media posts, informational documents, reports, and much more. 

To use Generate docs, navigate to the Column Center and search for it, then click on Add to board:

Simply describe what you need to generate based on other columns, describe the tone and length, and watch as the AI generates a document for you.

Custom block

With the custom block, you can get customized results for anything else you might need that's not covered by the pre-set actions.

Describe what you need, create the automation, and watch it work! You can revise and test your instructions as many times as needed to make sure you're getting the results you want.

Tip: Please note that any actions you wish to accomplish with AI that are already covered by the pre-set actions above will yield better results than setting them up in the custom block. The custom block should be used for tailor-made situations that may not already be covered.

Custom block: web search feature

Within the custom block, the web search feature opens up the option to use the web to provide answers by retrieving publicly available information from the web. For best results, words like “current, updated, up-to-date” will help the AI understand that it should fetch data from the web.

To use the web search feature, choose the Custom action option. In the Tell AI what to insert section, write what information you need AI to fetch for you, and choose the value that corresponds with it. 

For example, you can create a column with the names of companies that you'd like to get information about. Then, set up empty text columns that will be filled in with the search results.

In this example, to fill in the "Number of employees" column, ask the AI to "please provide me the number of employees working at the company in Item name." You'll see a preview of the answer so you can adjust as needed. You can also hover the generated answer to see the data behind the answer.

When you're done, click on Save & apply, and the information will be populated into the column.

The possibilities are truly endless! Use this feature to help synthesize all of the information you need with one simple prompt.

If you would like to turn off this option for your account, please reach out to your account manager or support@monday.com.

Using run history to troubleshoot 

If you want to understand why a column may be showing No result, then you can check the Run history.

Click on the Automate button on the top right of your screen and then click on the Manage tab. Next, click on the Run history tab. There you will see a summary of the AI actions taken on the column:

The Run history will explain each AI action taken and will give an explanation if an action has failed so you can take the appropriate steps to fix the issue.

Tip: Want to master AI blocks and more? Take our self-paced monday academy course and earn a badge when you complete it! It’s a great way to sharpen your skills and showcase your achievements.