Notion AI seems to be one of the main pet focuses of Notion, right now, and recently we've been given a brand new update: Notion AI Database Autofill. In this guide, I'll walk through some of the key features of this update, how to use them and when you might want to try it out.

How to Use AI Summary

AI Summary is an innovative feature that generates a concise summary of the content in your database pages. To leverage this feature, follow these steps:

1. Click on the '+' button at the top right corner of your database to add a new property.
2. Select an AI Summary option from the suggested properties list (in purple).
3. Choose 'Summary' from the available prompts, then select 'Try on this view';
4. Notion AI will now automatically generate a summary of the content on each page in your database.

This feature allows you to get a quick overview of your data at a glance, enabling efficient data management and navigation.

Harnessing AI Key Info

The 'Extract key info' feature uses AI to identify and present critical information from your database. To activate this feature, follow the steps outlined in the AI Summary section, but select 'Extract key info' instead. AI will now automatically extract key information such as people mentioned, critical dates, action items, and more.

This feature is incredibly helpful in highlighting the crucial aspects of your data and can be a game-changer for databases with a large amount of content.

Utilizing AI Custom Autofill

The 'Custom' feature of AI autofill gives you the flexibility to request specific information from the AI. After adding a new property and choosing 'Fill with AI', select 'Custom'. You will be asked to provide a custom prompt that the AI will respond to.

For example, if you're dealing with a database of sales calls, your custom prompt could be 'Who was the sales representative on this call?' The AI will search the page for this specific information and fill it in.

Taking Advantage of AI Add-on Features

If your Notion plan includes the AI add-on, you can enable additional features that enhance automation:

Auto-update on page edits: When enabled, this feature will automatically update your AI-filled property five minutes after changes are made to the page. You can also manually trigger an AI update by hovering over a value and clicking the wand button that appears.

Update all pages: This feature is a one-time manual update to all pages in the database. If you want to generate AI summaries for an entire database, you can use 'Update all pages' to start the process. Afterward, 'Auto-update on page edits' will keep those summaries up-to-date.

Practical Use Cases for Notion AI Autofill For Small Business Operations

The Notion AI Database Autofill feature is not only innovative but also practical, particularly for small businesses looking to streamline operations. Let's look at some examples and use cases to better understand how this feature can help your business:

AI Summary for Meeting Minutes

If you're using a Notion database to store your meeting notes, the AI Summary feature can be a game-changer. With this tool, you can get a quick, automated overview of the meetings, which is particularly useful when you need to recall specific details or when preparing for follow-up meetings. It can save your team a lot of time, especially if the meetings were lengthy or complex.

HR & Recruitment Management

You can use AI autofill for recruitment databases, automating the extraction of important candidate information like qualifications, experience, or references from their CVs or profiles. This can streamline the recruitment process and help HR teams identify suitable candidates more effectively.

Content Planning & Marketing Campaigns

AI summaries can provide concise overviews of planned marketing campaigns or content schedules. The 'Extract key info' feature can be used to automatically highlight important dates, tasks, and individuals responsible for each piece of content or campaign.

Sales Pipeline Management

In a sales database, AI autofill could identify key data points such as the potential value of the deal, the decision-maker, or the expected close date. It can help you prioritize efforts and keep track of the sales pipeline more efficiently.

Customer Support

For a database tracking customer support tickets, you can use AI autofill to automatically update the status of a ticket, summarize the customer's problem, or identify key actions taken. This makes the information easily accessible for all team members.

Vendor and Supply Chain Management

AI autofill can be used to monitor suppliers and manage supply chains more efficiently. It can extract key info like order quantities, delivery dates, and payment terms, ensuring that critical data is always highlighted.

Financial Management

You can use AI autofill to extract important details from financial documents such as invoices, receipts, or contracts, making it easier to keep track of expenditures, due dates for payments, or contractual obligations.

Training and Onboarding

For a database that stores training materials, AI autofill can be used to create summaries of each document. This could help new employees quickly understand what each material covers and find the information they need more easily.