Welcome to this weeks Optimize IS Weekly Brief!

This week, we are diving into the latest features, smartest workflows, and best ways for building internal tools that actually work faster, clearer, and smarter.

Airtable’s AI is Here (and it is Smart)!

Airtable just dropped its most powerful platform update yet and it is built for teams who want to do more with less.

With new AI-powered app building tools, your Airtable base becomes more than a database. It becomes a strategic teammate.

What’s new?

• Prompt Writing - Add natural language prompts directly into your interfaces, and edit with AI.

• Field Agents - Automate suggestions, summaries, and predictions at the field level.

• Omni AI - Airtable’s centralized AI experience for natural language querying, generating, and updating records.

Instead of building interfaces manually, you can describe what you want and let AI do the heavy lifting. You don’t need to code - you just need to know what outcome you are looking for.

These updates make Airtable one of the only platforms where AI, data, and automation live side-by-side in a fully connected system.

We’re already seeing teams:

• Auto-build intake forms with built in triage

• Summarize project updates in real time

• Auto-tag content based on context

• Make their internal dashboards feel… actually smart

If you have been waiting for the “aha moment” with AI, this might be it!

Automation vs. AI: What is the difference and Why It Matters Now

For years, businesses have relied on automation to simplify processes.
If X happens, then do Y.
It’s powerful but limited.

Automation follows rules.
It’s like a calculator: fast, precise, and reliable as long as you know what to tell it.

AI, on the other hand, interprets rules.
It understands context, makes predictions, and even suggests next steps based on your data.
Think of it as an assistant that doesn’t just wait for commands but offers insight before you even know what to ask.

With the new Airtable AI features, Omni, Prompt Blocks, and Field Agents, these two worlds finally collide.

Why it matters:
When automation meets AI, your internal systems stop being reactive and start being strategic.
The result? Teams move faster, think clearer, and waste less time on repetitive decisions.

YouTube Pick: “AI-Powered Work-Back Schedules in Airtable”

Making the jump from Smartsheet to Airtable? We have just the video for you!

Say goodbye to static timelines and manual bottlenecks.

In this new walkthrough, Ben shows how to build AI-powered work-back schedules inside Airtable to make your planning process faster and more intelligent.

Watch to see how to:

• Spot inefficiencies in your project timelines automatically

• Use Airtable’s AI Assistant for real-time insights

• Identify at-risk tasks and overloaded team members

• Plan complex campaigns with confidence

Whether you are launching a product or managing day-to-day ops, this demo shows how Airtable AI can upgrade the way your team works without extra tools or spreadsheets.

In Case You Missed It!

We were named Airtable Partner of the Year.
It’s an honor we don’t take lightly we thank you for being part of the journey.
→ Read Ben’s post here

We are proud to be pushing the boundaries of what is possible with Airtable - now with AI in the mix.

If you are ready to make your internal systems actually work for you, we’re just a message away.

— The Optimize IS Team
optimizeis.com

PS: Our YouTube channel is a goldmine for all things Airtable! From quick tips to full scale workflow builds. Worth a scroll!