Automation with AI at its Core: An Overview of Inbox Ai

Control Your Mac by Voice, Automate Email Processing, Use AI to Create Notes on the Go, Capture Your Screen and Perform Requests on It, and So Much More

For years, I've been fascinated by automation and its impact on my everyday productivity. I started with the Shortcuts app and BetterTouchTool, but lately I've been more into building more robust systems with Alfred workflows and Keyboard Maestro. All of these applications have opened up endless possibilities for streamlining tasks on my Mac.

Recently, my automation journey has taken an exciting turn toward voice-controlled tools. After discovering SuperWhisper last year, I began exploring the potential of using voice commands for even faster and more versatile automation workflows. So when I heard about Inbox AI and its idea of deep Mac system integrations using voice (among other things), I was naturally curious.

I reached out to the developer earlier this year, hoping to test the app, and soon I was welcomed aboard! I'm very happy to share with you an overview of what Inbox AI can do for your automation needs. I think it could potentially transform the productivity workflow of several of you. You can watch my video below or continue reading for a more condensed version.

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Intro to Inbox AI

Inbox AI stands out in the automation landscape as a unique tool that—to be honest—is very hard to categorize. Most automation apps are very straightforward in the connection between triggers and actions: the user is always in control and whatever is executed happens under a very clear set of rules. However, Inbox AI takes a different approach by having AI as a "copilot" of sorts, letting it take decisions on what to execute, based on what has been defined by the user.

The app's triggers are very interesting. You can activate Inbox AI through:

• Keyboard shortcuts to launch voice commands or quickly take screenshots

• Watched folders that monitor images and audio files

• Incoming emails in Apple Mail

What makes these triggers special is how they connect with AI. Whether you're dictating commands, sending audio files (either as files or transcribed text), screenshots, or email content, Inbox AI will send this to LLMs to interprets your input and then take action based on that understanding.

Among other things, the triggers mentioned connect to a robust action system that can:

• Process natural language with multiple AI models (including local ones)

• Execute system commands

• Integrate with third-party applications

• Chain multiple actions based on content, system instructions, and specific commands given by the user

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Real-World Usage

Email Management

With a simple voice command, you can draft emails and have AI automatically open the mail app with all the details filled in. AI understands context and tone, allowing you to create responses that feel natural and appropriate. You can also set Inbox AI to automatically process incoming messages, extracting tasks and adding them to your task manager of choice, and even flagging or sorting emails that need extra attention.

Dictation

You can use Inbox AI as a quick dictation tool either with or without AI post-processing. This is a feature that may not be up-to-par with the additional features found in some specialized tools, but it still works pretty well! Dictating with AI can help you quickly output your ideas in a specific format. You can also use AI to summarize your stream of consciousness, organize thoughts into an outline, transcribe and translate as you speak, etc.

Note-Taking

With Inbox AI, you can set up a keyboard shortcut to create and dictate notes in the background - no need to even open your note-taking app. Beyond basic dictation, you can trigger note creation (with AI post-processing) through screenshots, email content, audio files, etc.

Some time ago I shared AI Memos, an automation that allows me to dictate on my watch using Just Press Record and have Keyboard Maestro use AI to transcribe my dictation and create a note. Inbox AI can simplify this much more, as it already has all the elements needed.

Custom Workflows

Want to run terminal commands? Launch Alfred workflows? Fire up Keyboard Maestro macros? Run Shortcuts? Search on Perplexity? Execute AppleScripts? Read selected text aloud? Inbox AI can handle it all. You can truly control SO MUCH on your Mac. And with this tool, instead of just running automations the traditional way, you can kick them off with your voice, a quick screenshot, or other natural interactions. You just need to connect the pieces in ways that make sense for your specific needs.

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Considerations and Limitations

While powerful, Inbox AI isn't a plug-and-play solution. Some things to keep in mind:

• You'll need to invest time in setup and configuration before running your first automation

• To get the most value, you will probably need to go through all the manual

• The app requires some technical knowledge to be customized and to integrate with other apps

A thing to mention is that performance varies depending on your setup. Without the Real-time API, actions can feel sluggish at times. The delay is minimal for simple things like dictation, but more noticeable with complex chained actions. For example, if you use voice to ask for "take a screenshot, extract any tasks you find, and add them to my task manager," you can expect some delays. There's a lot of factors that come into play related to this, and while the Real-time API offers faster performance overall, it does come with higher costs.

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Is Inbox AI For You?

You might love Inbox AI if you're:

• A power user who enjoys deep customization

• A professional dealing with high email volume needing smart processing

• Someone looking to integrate AI into their daily workflows

• Ready to invest time in mastering a complex but rewarding tool

• Seeking to reduce manual computer interactions

• Someone with accessibility needs who could benefit from voice control

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Final Thoughts

I've only been using Inbox AI for a couple of months and I've seen many updates and improvements. The developer is clearly invested in making it better. While there are current limitations, the app's potential is clear and I only expect this to become more powerful as AI continues to improve.

Being completely honest—as someone with many automation tools already set up—I haven't yet found a must-have use case that only Inbox AI can solve. I've built similar solutions using SuperWhisper, Keyboard Maestro, and Alfred. If I had discovered this tool before setting up a lot of my current systems, my perspective would probably be different.

Now, while it's not part of my daily workflow yet, I believe Inbox AI could be pretty BIG for many of you, especially those without similar automation setups. It truly can be an all-in-one solution for AI and automation.

Like with many other automation apps, I still think Inbox AI is valuable to have in my toolbox—ready for when the right use case presents itself. Who knows, maybe at some point I will really consider it essential. If you're intrigued, I encourage you to check it out and join the Slack community. Slack, by the way, is the best place for you to drop questions on this app. Your perfect use case might be just a conversation away.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I'm not affiliated with Inbox AI, and no one is paying me for the time spent on this, so if you found this info helpful, feel free to buy me a coffee. Your support is much appreciated!

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