Overview

Once you have created and tested your AI Configurations in Akeneo PIM, the next step is to execute them — either manually on a single product or automatically across your catalog.

Akeneo PIM provides two ways to run AI Configurations:

1. Manual execution from the Product Edit Form, ideal for testing or one-off enrichment.
2. Automated execution through the Rules Engine, ideal for recurring or large-scale enrichment.

Both methods use the same configuration logic, ensuring that the AI behaves consistently regardless of how it is triggered.

Manual execution via Product Edit Form

Manual execution allows you to generate AI-powered content directly from within a product's record in Akeneo PIM. This is ideal for:

• Testing an AI Configuration on a specific product
• Making small adjustments before full automation
• Enriching new or priority products before a campaign launch

Ask AI options

From the Product Edit Form, click Ask AI to choose how you want to generate or translate content. This panel offers two quick actions (no setup required) and two configuration-based actions (for more control).

The screenshot above shows the Ask AI panel in the Product Edit Form with four options: Smart Fill, Smart Translate, Generate from Configuration, and Translate using Configuration.

Smart Fill

Automatically generates a suggested value for the selected attribute using the product data already filled in. Use Smart Fill on its own for quick, one-off enrichment. Alternatively, select an AI Configuration within Smart Fill when you need more control over how the content is produced — for example, applying specific guidance, tone of voice, or Reference Entity data.

The screenshot above shows the Smart Fill option in the Ask AI panel, with an attribute selector and an optional AI Configuration dropdown for more controlled generation.

Smart Translate

Translates an existing attribute value from one locale to another. Smart Translate supports Text and Text Area attributes. Use it on its own for a fast, standard translation, or select an AI Configuration within Smart Translate when you need more advanced translation behavior — for example, respecting specific brand glossaries or formatting instructions.

The screenshot above shows the Smart Translate option with a source locale, target locale, and an optional AI Configuration selected for translation.

Generate from Configuration

Uses a saved AI Configuration to generate content for a specific attribute. This option applies the full prompt, source attributes, and output behavior defined in the selected configuration, giving you precise control over the result.

Translate using Configuration

Uses a saved translation-type AI Configuration to translate content. This option applies the channel- and locale-scoped settings from the selected configuration, making it ideal when you need consistent translation behavior across many products.

How to generate content manually in the Product Edit Form

To generate or translate AI content for a product attribute in Akeneo PIM:

1. Open a product from your Product Grid.

2. Click Ask AI in the top right corner.

The Ask AI button appears in the top right of the Product Edit Form toolbar.

1. Choose Generate from Configuration (if you have a saved AI Configuration) or Smart Fill (for quick generation without a configuration). For translation tasks, choose Translate using Configuration or Smart Translate.

The Ask AI panel showing the four available actions: Smart Fill, Smart Translate, Generate from Configuration, and Translate using Configuration.

1. Choose the attribute you want to enrich.

The attribute selector in the Ask AI panel, listing supported attribute types for the current product.

1. Select the desired AI Configuration from the dropdown list.

The AI Configuration dropdown showing available configurations for the selected attribute.

1. Click Fill the Attribute to receive a result.

The generated value appearing in the target attribute field, ready for review and editing before saving.

The generated value appears directly in the attribute field. Review and edit it before saving the product.

Supported output attribute types

The following attribute types support AI generation (Smart Fill and Generate from Configuration) in Akeneo PIM:

• Text
• Text Area
• Simple Select
• Multi Select
• Reference Entity Single Link
• Reference Entity Multiple Links
• Number
• Measurement
• Yes/No (Boolean)
• Date

Smart Translate and Translate using Configuration support Text and Text Area attributes only.

When to use manual execution

Use manual execution in Akeneo PIM when:

• You are testing a new prompt before automating.
• You want to enrich only a few attributes on a specific product.
• You need to review generated content before saving.

Automated execution via Rules Engine

For large-scale or recurring enrichment, AI Configurations can be triggered automatically using the Rules Engine in Akeneo PIM. This enables teams to generate, translate, or audit content for thousands of products at once, without manual effort.

The Rules Engine action configuration showing the "Generate attribute value with AI" action with an AI Configuration selector.

How to execute AI Configurations via the Rules Engine

1. Go to Settings → Rules.
2. Create a new rule or open an existing one.
3. Define conditions that identify which products should be affected. Example: All products in the "Shoes" Family that have an empty SEO meta description.
4. Under Actions, select:
5. Generate attribute value with AI — to generate new content for an attribute.
6. Generate translation with AI — to translate existing attribute content to another locale.
7. Choose the desired AI Configuration from the list.
8. Save and enable the rule.

Once the rule runs, the AI Configuration automatically generates or updates attribute values for all products that meet the rule's conditions.

Monitoring automation performance

Automation can process thousands of records per execution. To ensure smooth performance:

Performance varies based on data size, attribute types, and concurrent system activity.

Tips for reliable execution

Validate in Preview first
Always test your AI Configuration on a few sample products using the Preview tool before enabling automation.

Start with small rules
Run smaller batches first to verify results before scaling to your entire catalog.

Use descriptive rule names
Example: generate_missing_descriptions_fr or audit_incomplete_materials.

Keep rules simple
Avoid combining too many actions or conditions in a single rule for clarity and reliability.

Example workflow

A typical team might operationalize AI Configurations in Akeneo PIM as follows:

Troubleshooting

Best practices summary

• Use manual execution for validation and targeted enrichment.
• Use Rules Engine automation for continuous, large-scale execution.
• Regularly analyze and rewrite your prompts using the AI Prompt Optimizer and Rewriter for accuracy and tone consistency.
• Keep automation monitored and adjust scope for optimal system performance.

Next steps

After setting up automated or manual execution:

• Learn how to manage processing limits and performance in Limits and Considerations.
• Review Understanding AI Behavior and Realistic Use Cases to better interpret AI results and set clear expectations.