Highlights:

  • Airtable states that its new tools aim to strike the right balance between application standardization and customization.
  • The newly unveiled products feature the App Library, a tool for deploying custom-built applications integrated with AI models, as well as HyperDB.

The company behind a no-code platform for building applications and workflows, Airtable Inc., is expanding its AI investments by introducing new tools designed to help organizations harness the power of AI.

The newly announced products include the App Library, a tool for deploying custom-built applications integrated with AI models, and HyperDB, which enables companies to create workflows that incorporate vast datasets from platforms such as Databricks and Snowflake.

Airtable markets a cloud-based “Digital Operations Platform” that allows teams to store, organize, and collaborate on structured data. Functioning as a real-time database, it’s frequently described as “spreadsheets on steroids.”

It’s recognized for its user-friendly interface, allowing anyone to set up a database within minutes. It can store, organize, and facilitate collaboration on information related to virtually anything—whether it’s employee directories, product inventories, or marketing campaigns—without requiring any knowledge of Structured Query Language (SQL). In fact, users don’t even need to know what SQL stands for.

The company first explored the potential of generative AI when it introduced its Airtable AI tools last year. When the tools were launched, the goal was to enable businesses to easily incorporate generative AI into the no-code applications and business workflows built on its platform—without requiring any technical expertise.

In an interview, Airtable Co-founder and CEO Howie Liu explained that the newly launched capabilities build upon the previous release and are intended to make the large language models that drive generative AI more accessible to everyday users. He said, “There’s been way too much emphasis on just the hard tech, and not nearly enough emphasis on the ergonomics and how to actually utilize LLMs today.”

Airtable explains that its new tools aim to strike the right balance between application standardization and customization. To achieve this, the App Library offers a straightforward framework for creating standardized business applications with integrated AI capabilities, which various business teams can then tailor.

Liu compared the App Library to a “LEGO kit,” emphasizing that its purpose is to make LLM technology more accessible to non-technical users and citizen developers.

HyperDB simplifies the process for users to build custom AI applications and workflows that can leverage data from Databricks and Snowflake. “All the while, administrators maintain governance of the data and ensure compliance to industry standards. With HyperDB, it’s possible to pull 100M records into Airtable, and operationalize that data across the organization. The result? Stronger decision making fueled by critical, cross-functional information,” the company said in a blog post.

Other features announced recently include “Org Branding,” which enables users to personalize Airtable with their own branding and logos, and “App Sandbox,” which allows for the creation, testing, and customization of no-code applications in a secure environment before deployment.

The company mentioned that one of its clients, referred to as a “leading streaming company,” has already utilized its new tools to develop an application for automatic content genre classification. Airtable reported that this has helped the company save approximately 280 hours per week for its teams.

Airtable’s emphasis on AI and application development marks a significant shift from its origins as a straightforward collaborative spreadsheet tool. As its capabilities expand, it increasingly competes with larger enterprises like Microsoft Corp., Salesforce Inc., and ServiceNow Inc., which provide similar functionalities for creating applications and workflows that incorporate AI.

To achieve success, the company must ensure that its innovations deliver the productivity improvements it promises while avoiding complications for employees. Additionally, it needs to do so in a manner that is more cost-effective than its competitors.