Revolutionizing Automation in Zoho Creator with AI Skills: Agentic AI Meets Low-Code

As real-time responsiveness becomes essential in modern workflows, businesses are no longer relying solely on conventional automation. The focus is shifting toward systems that think and act independently, powered by intelligent automation frameworks. In this context, Zoho Creator is gaining popularity as a practical low-code platform that allows teams to build applications and automate processes with minimal programming.

So, what exactly is Zoho Creator? It’s a low-code app builder where businesses can design tailored applications suited to their unique needs. Its drag-and-drop interface, support for scripting via Deluge, and vast integration capabilities have made it a favourite among businesses of all sizes. Whether used for internal workflows or customer-facing portals, the platform helps teams reduce development time and implement customized solutions efficiently.

A New Layer of Intelligence: AI Skills in Zoho Creator

With the introduction of AI Skills, Zoho Creator introduces a new dimension—allowing automation to move beyond static, rule-based execution. AI Skills act as independent agents within your applications. These agents can process data, make decisions, and execute tasks without needing fixed rules for every scenario.

In other words, instead of writing multiple if-else conditions or maintaining complex decision trees, AI Skills can adapt dynamically, acting like a digital brain inside your application. This marks a shift in how companies think about workflows—moving from reactive to responsive and context-aware processes.

What Are AI Skills?

AI Skills are functional modules available within Zoho Creator that make use of AI models to perform decision-making tasks. These modules process input, evaluate context, and return meaningful output that can be used to trigger next steps in a workflow.

You can access these capabilities in AI Modeler found under the Microservices section in Zoho Creator. What sets AI Skills apart is their ability to plug directly into existing apps, making it easier for users to improve logic without needing to import external tools or write complex APIs.

At the time of writing, the feature is in closed beta and supports OpenAI’s Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) model. This allows users to plug in their own OpenAI API key to power these skills, giving businesses the freedom to choose how and when to apply intelligence across their workflows.

Core Capabilities of AI Skills

AI Skills in Zoho Creator serve as modular, callable components that can process requests and return evaluated data or results. Here are some standout features:

Deluge Compatibility: AI Skills work seamlessly with Deluge, Zoho’s scripting language, allowing you to enhance current logic with intelligent responses.
On-Demand Processing: Unlike static scripts, these skills evaluate data in real time, making the system more adaptive to new scenarios.
Dedicated Endpoints: Each AI Skill has its own endpoint URL. This simplifies usage during app development and even allows easy integration with external systems.

Real-World Use Cases

AI Skills are already proving useful in various business applications. Here are a few practical examples of how companies are applying them:

1. Smart Lead Routing

Sales and marketing teams using Zoho Creator integrated with Zoho CRM can benefit from intelligent lead routing. Based on lead score, location, previous interactions, or urgency, AI can automatically assign leads to the right salesperson. This not only improves response time but also ensures that high-value leads are prioritized.

2. Risk Flagging in Forms

For businesses handling sensitive or high-risk applications—like finance or insurance—AI Skills can review form entries and determine if they require special attention. If a risk factor is detected (e.g., missing documents, suspicious data), the form is flagged for review before proceeding.

3. Automated Task Scheduling

AI Skills can distribute workloads based on real-time team capacity and deadlines. This is especially useful in project management setups where multiple teams need to coordinate. Instead of using static assignment rules, tasks are assigned based on available bandwidth, priority, and employee skill sets.

How to Use AI Skills in Zoho Creator

There are two primary ways to trigger an AI Skill—within Zoho Creator and from external systems.

From Zoho Creator:

1. Go to the AI Modeler under Microservices.
2. Choose the AI Skill you want to use and copy the endpoint URL.
3. Use Deluge to create a function that sends a POST request to this endpoint.
4. Define the request body with the required input data.
5. Include the authorization token in the header for security.
6. Run the app and verify the output.

From External Systems:

1. Use the same endpoint URL as above.
2. Set up a POST request using any HTTP client or integration platform.
3. Add input parameters and authentication details.
4. Process the output and incorporate it into your external workflow.

This flexible model allows businesses to integrate Zoho Creator with internal systems, ERPs, or customer-facing websites, enabling intelligent automation across touchpoints.

Advantages for Businesses and Developers

AI Skills aren’t just a new feature—they bring practical benefits to both technical and non-technical users:

For Developers: Instead of writing scripts for every edge case, developers can call AI Skills to get evaluated results. This reduces the amount of manual coding and accelerates application development cycles.
For Businesses: AI Skills help reduce the back-and-forth in processes by allowing systems to act independently. For example, instead of requiring human approval for every step, workflows can make decisions and proceed when certain confidence levels or triggers are met.

For teams pursuing Zoho Creator certification, hands-on experience with AI Skills adds value by expanding the scope of what you can build and manage on the platform.

Steps to Get Started

If you’re looking to start using AI Skills in your setup, here’s a simple plan:

1. Request Access: Reach out to Zoho support to be part of the early access program.
2. Start Small: Pick a single process to test—like form validation or email reply to suggestions.
3. Use the Sandbox: Test in a secure environment without affecting live operations.
4. Work with Experts: If you’re new to Zoho Creator, consider collaborating with certified consultants.
5. Expand Gradually: Once confident, expand AI Skills across more use cases within your organization.

A Quick Note on Zoho Creator Pricing

AI Skills add considerable value without requiring a separate AI platform. For users already on Zoho Creator’s pricing plans, this is a powerful extension of what they can achieve. As AI Skills mature, they are likely to be included in more plan tiers, offering scalability without major infrastructure changes.

Final Thoughts

AI Skills add significant functionality to Zoho Creator. If you’re learning what Zoho Creator is used for, or are a current user looking to upgrade, this feature offers distinct benefits. From smart lead routing to automated risk assessments, AI Skills help businesses operate more efficiently and naturally.

From assigning leads and assessing risks to scheduling and automation, businesses are now equipped to build smarter processes with fewer manual inputs. AI Skills are not just about reacting—they are about responding intelligently based on context, patterns, and logic.

Start by connecting your OpenAI key or consult with a Zoho Creator expert to begin applying AI Skills to your apps. Learn how other users are applying this feature and consider how it could simplify or improve your current workflows. And if you haven’t signed up yet, create your free account and start building smarter, faster.

Categories