As a complement to DEVONthink's built-in AI, you can use an external AI engine to process, and in some cases, create documents in your database.

You can leverage many of the capabilities of third-party AI services with your documents and databases in a few ways. Your boss sent you a few PDFs but you don't have time to read it now. The Summarize Documents via Chat command can produce a document with summaries of them for you to read the key points. If you need to add an image to a document you're working on, describe it and save the image when you see one you like. Or imagine writing an email to a government representative proposing an idea, but you aren't sure it sounds "professional". Use Edit > Transformations > Transform text via chat to get a suggested rewrite. You can also ask questions of a chat engine, requesting specific output, e.g., "Create a Markdown list of the 15 best vacation spots in the continental US for a family with kids. Provide a single paragraph summary as to why each is included and add links to the Chamber of Commerce of each place, where available." and you should shortly have a document in your database.

AI also plays a part in other aspects of DEVONthink. Select the toolbar search field, tap the `↩︎` Return key, and press the AI button. Briefly describe what you're looking for and AI will show you the DEVONthink-specific search syntax or launch the search for you. For automation enthusiasts, there are new AppleScript commands as well as placeholders and smart actions that integrate with AI. Now you can utilize AI in your automations to produce more customized results.

Do bear in mind, the capabilities are relative to the AI engine you're using, as well as any associated costs of using a commercial AI service.

Possible uses:

- Get overviews and essential concepts of documents
- Get creative with AI generated images and story outlines
- Ask impromptu questions, further refine via chatting, and save the conversation or results

Continue to read here:

- Analyze and create documents with AI
- Get recommendations on rewriting your text
- Create a smart rule using AI to affect the results