Creating your own virtual buddy to help manage your life has never been easier thanks to AI.
Just grab one of a few free apps, teach that bad boy your preferences, and bam - you've got an AI assistant d ready to ride shotgun and handle your daily business.
Yes, in this article, we'll walk through making the perfect digital companion for exactly 0 bucks.
We’ll go over:
- What’s an AI assistant, and why even make your own?
- What are the top 5 free AI assistant makers?
- What can a free DIY assistant do?
- A step-by-step guide to creating your own assistant with Lindy
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
What is an AI assistant and why make your own?
AI assistants, also known as virtual assistants or chatbots, are software programs designed to simulate intelligent conversations with humans and perform tasks on their behalf.
They’re equipped with natural language processing (NLP) capabilities, allowing them to understand and respond to speech and text in a way that emulates humans. (You know, not like those robotic voices in 1960s movies).
Imagine having your own personal AI assistant (think Siri or Alexa) but with enhanced capabilities and customization.
The top 5 free AI assistant makers
So you want to build your own AI assistant but don’t want to drop major cash? We got you.
There are a few free tools out there that make it a cinch to create your own virtual helper without maxing out your credit cards - or spending anything, really.
Let’s take a look:
Lindy
The créme de la créme when it comes to AI assistants. Lindy is a state-of-the-art AI system that allows you to build a team of AI assistants that can talk to each other and perform different tasks.
Best for:
Either building a single, specialized AI assistant, or a team of intelligent mini-Lindies that can collaborate on tasks.
Strengths:
- Easy to create and train new Lindies.
- 200 free credits.
- State-of-the-art AI with natural language processing.
- Great out-of-the-box at a variety of tasks, like scheduling, planning, email triage, writing, and even sales!
- Integrates with over 3,000 apps and services.
- Simple to create new templates from scratch.
- Zero coding knowledge needed.
But:
You need to upgrade to the paid version once you spend your free credits.
Botpress
Best for:
Building conversational chatbots that feel natural and engaging.
Strengths:
- Visual flow builder for easy design.
- 5 bots for free.
- 3 collaborators (each extra is $25).
- 2,000 incoming messages & events/month .
- Robust natural language understanding (NLU) engine.
- Wide range of integrations (Facebook Messenger, web chat, Slack, etc.).
But:
It might require a bit of a learning curve to unlock its full potential.
Kore.ai
Best for:
Those wanting to build both chatbots and voice assistants.
Strengths:
- Versatile platform for multiple assistant types.
- Omnichannel support (web, apps, voice assistants).
Enterprise-focused features even on the free tier.
But:
Might be slightly more complex for absolute beginners.
Dialogflow
Best for:
Developers comfortable with some technical setup and the Google ecosystem.
Strengths:
- Powerful NLU backed by Google AI technology.
- Excellent for building complex, multi-step assistants.
- Integrations with Google services (Google Assistant, etc.).
But:
Best suited for developers vs. those looking for mainly a visual builder.
Free AI Assistant
Best for:
Productivity and those who like multi-purpose assistants.
Strengths:
- Write emails, blog posts, generate ideas, and answer questions.
- Unique mix of conversational AI with automation-focused tasks.
But:
Free access has usage limits; paid tiers unlock full power.
Rasa
Best for:
Developers and those seeking granular control over the conversational AI experience.
Strengths:
- The open-source framework provides great flexibility.
- Excellent for building highly complex and customized assistants.
- Deeply customizable natural language understanding (NLU) pipeline.
But:
Requires coding experience, primarily in Python, with a much steeper learning curve compared to purely visual builders.
Ada
Best for:
Businesses looking for a customer-service-focused chatbot solution that can mix AI with human support.
Strengths:
- Specializes in building automated customer support chatbots.
- Integrates with helpdesk platforms like Zendesk.
- Offers a no-code interface along with the ability to customize with code for deeper control.
But:
Less flexible for building assistants outside the realm of customer service.
What can a free DIY assistant do?
The shift towards AI assistance offers a huge bunch of perks:
- Automating the mundane stuff: AI assistants take on those repetitive tasks—think scheduling, fielding FAQs, and inputting data—letting you channel your energies into more creative or strategic activities.
- Saving time: They zip through jobs like sifting through emails, pulling up customer records, or setting up meetings, giving you back hours for things that are important to you.
- Ramping up productivity: By handing off the routine to AI, teams are free to dive deep into more complex projects, improving overall productivity without burning out or getting bogged down in trivial tasks.
- Costs go way down: Without the overhead of salaries or benefits, AI assistants offer a budget-friendly way to scale operations, all while keeping mistakes to a minimum.
- Ready whenever you are: With AI assistants, help is always at hand, guaranteeing you get support 24/7 without the limitations of human work schedules. (You know, pesky things like sleep or rest.)
Step-by-step guide to making an AI assistant with Lindy (in just a few minutes!)
Why did we choose Lindy out of all of the platforms? Simply put, it’s the best at helping you create a working AI assistant without a single line of code.
Here’s how to get started:
- Define your task well: What do you need help with? Drafting emails, scheduling meetings, researching information – Lindy can take it, and more.
- Be clear with your instructions: Tell Lindy exactly what you want it to do, using plain language. For example: "Check my calendar for conflicts and schedule this meeting for the earliest available time".
- Help Lindy out with examples: A few examples help Lindy grasp the pattern. Show it what the input might look like (like a meeting request) and the desired outcome (a scheduled event).
Then, it’s time to move on to the real-world application of Lindy. For instance, let's say you're swamped with customer inquiries.
Naturally, you ask Lindy to help out. Here’s what that looks like:
- Task: Respond to customer emails asking about order status.
- Instructions: "Search our order system for the customer's order. Reply with the status, tracking information, and an estimated delivery date."
- Trigger: Lindy activates whenever a new email with keywords like "order status" arrives in your inbox.
Lindy is amazingly versatile. Here's what else it can do beyond the bare-bones basics:
- It can integrate with your tools: Connect with Gmail, Google Calendar, Salesforce, and more to both streamline your processes and use your data to teach Lindy.
- There’s plenty of love at the Lindy store: Save time by starting with a template from the Lindy Store and customizing it to your needs.
- No need to limit yourself: Lindy can handle multi-step tasks, saving you precious hours.
Summing up
All in all, you can see how easy it is to create your own personal AI assistant for free!
Just:
- Find a platform that fits your needs.
- Follow the steps to set it up.
- Start getting more organized and efficient!
With a little time investment on the front end, you’ll have your own virtual assistant ready to help make your life easier - and you won’t have to sell your car to do it.
But remember: If you find yourself wanting more advanced features, you may need to upgrade to a paid plan down the road.
But for now, we’re 100% sure that any and all of the options on our list can help get you on the right track!
Next steps: Sign up for Lindy
Lindy isn't just about marking dates on your calendar; it's about conjuring a crew of mini-Lindies ready to dive into any task you've got lined up.
Here's what Lindy can do:
- Imagine an army of Lindies teaming up to blitz through your to-do list, armed with infinitely deep pockets of task-juggling tricks, ready-made templates, and some serious teamwork.
- Calendar chaos getting you down? Lindy steps in to declutter, fishing out those meeting gems from your chats and keeping your schedule slick and sorted.
- Those "Oh, I should call mom" moments or "Darn, missed that follow-up" regrets? Lindy’s reminders are like your personal bestie, nudging you about the small –but important– moments.
- With Lindy’s selection of templates, you're looking at a future where "dull" and "repetitive" just aren't in your vocabulary.
- Lindy acts like a behind-the-scenes digital butler, popping up when you need a hand and disappearing when you’ve got things covered.
- But Lindy's not just waiting around for orders; it learns your likes and leaps into action, smoothing out the small stuff so you're free to zoom out on the big picture.
Try for free, Lindy’s the secret sauce for anyone keen to boost their organizational ability, adaptable to a spectrum of tasks, and learning right alongside you.
