Using AI Without Losing Predictability | Build Along Workshop

Don’t just watch the replay—be part of the next live build. 💎 https://bit.ly/4ta7ZeQ Ready to move past the AI hype and build something that actually works every single time? Join Emily Mabie, Senior AI Automation Engineer at Zapier, for a hands-on build-along session. In this workshop, we move away from "black box" AI agents and focus on determinism—creating a predictable workflow where you control exactly where the AI interacts with your data. We build an Emergency Email Triage System from scratch. You’ll learn how to use AI by Zapier to analyze incoming emails, determine urgency based on your specific criteria, and escalate critical issues to Slack—ensuring no "server crashed" email ever goes unseen again. ✨ What We’re Building 📧 The Trigger: Waking up your Zap whenever a new email hits your Gmail inbox. 🧠 The AI Step: Using AI by Zapier (GPT-4o mini) to analyze intent and urgency without needing your own API key. 🛡️ The Filter: Setting up "Guardrails" so the automation only continues if the AI confirms a high-priority status. 💬 The Action: Formatting a custom Slack notification that includes the AI's reasoning and a direct link to take action. 🛠️ Build-along Resources Upcoming Zapier Events: https://bit.ly/4ta7ZeQ Slack Formatting Cheat Sheet: https://bit.ly/4bOZy1p AI Consultation: Grab a 30-min working session with our team: https://zpr.io/yUEHk3HrZGPX ⏳ Workshop Chapters 0:00 - Welcome & Icebreaker: Dino Nuggets vs. Dino BBQ 5:10 - Meet Emily Mabie & Setting Up Your Workspace 10:35 - The Spectrum of AI: Determinism vs. Inference 15:50 - START BUILDING: Setting the Gmail Trigger 21:20 - Configuring AI by Zapier: Mapping Inputs & Improving Prompts 30:45 - Setting up Output Fields: Defining True/False Urgency 38:10 - Adding the Filter Step: Controlling the Flow 42:30 - Formatting the Slack Action: Bolding, Emojis, and Links 48:20 - Publishing & Live Testing (The "Server Crash" Test) 54:15 - Q&A with Bryce Vernon: High-confidence filters & editing tes