Airtable’s latest updates simplify the creation of no-code apps with integrated generative AI

Airtable Inc., creator of a no-code platform for constructing applications and workflows, is expanding on its investments in artificial intelligence with the launch of latest tools that can enable every organization to begin profiting from AI.

The brand new products announced today include App Library, a brand new tool for deploying custom-developed applications that integrate AI models, and HyperDB, which paves the best way for firms to create workflows that integrate massive datasets from platforms like Databricks and Snowflake.

Airtable sells a cloud-based “Digital Operations Platform” that permits teams to store, organize and collaborate on structured data. It really works as a real-time database and has often been known as “spreadsheets on steroids.”

It’s known for its user-friendly interface, which makes it possible for anyone to spin up a database in only a couple of minutes. It  can store, organize and collaborate on details about anything — including worker directories, product inventories, marketing campaigns and so forth — with none knowledge of Structured Query Language. Indeed, they don’t even must know what SQL stands for.

The corporate first began probing what generative AI can do with the launch of its Airtable AI tools last 12 months. On the time of its launch, the corporate said the concept was to make it easy for firms to integrate generative AI into the no-code applications and business workflows created using its platform, with none technical skills.

In an interview with VentureBeat, Airtable co-founder and Chief Executive Howie Liu said the brand new capabilities launched today construct on that release, and are designed to make the underlying large language models that power generative AI more accessible to on a regular basis employees. “There’s been way an excessive amount of emphasis on just the hard tech, and never nearly enough emphasis on the ergonomics and the way to actually utilize LLMs today,” he said.

With its latest tools, Airtable says, it’s attempting to get the balance right between standardization and customization of applications. To that end, App Library provides an easy framework for constructing standardized business apps with embedded AI capabilities that may then be customized by different business teams.

Liu likened the App Library to a “LEGO kit” and said it’s all about making LLM technology more accessible to citizen developers.

As for HyperDB, this makes it easy for users to create customized AI apps and workflows that may tap into Databricks and Snowflake data. “All of the while, administrators maintain governance of the information and ensure compliance to industry standards,” the corporate said in a blog post. “With HyperDB, it’s possible to tug 100M+ records into Airtable, and operationalize that data across the organization. The result? Stronger decision making fueled by critical, cross-functional information.”

Additional capabilities announced today include “Org Branding,” which allows users to customize Airtable with their very own branding and logos, and “App Sandbox,” for creating, testing and customizing no-code applications in a protected environment prior to deployment.

The corporate said one among its customers, described as a “leading streaming company,” has already used its latest tools to create an application for automatic content genre classification. In accordance with Airtable, that company has saved its teams around 280 hours per week.

The deal with AI and application constructing accelerates Airtable’s shift from its origins as an easy, collaborative spreadsheet tool. As its offerings change into more powerful, it’s increasingly going up against competing tools offered by big enterprises equivalent to Microsoft Corp., Salesforce Inc. and ServiceNow Inc., which provide similar capabilities for creating applications and workflows that integrate with AI.

To succeed, the corporate might want to be sure that its innovations provide the sort of productivity gains it claims without causing headaches for workers. And it would should do that in a way that’s cheaper than its rivals.

Images: Airtable