To help you get the most value from AI Configurations in the PIM, we strongly recommend following the guides below:
- AI Configuration Overview
- Creating & Managing AI Configuration
- Executing AI Configurations
- Useful AI Configurations Examples
- AI Prompt Analyzer & Rewriter
- AI Configuration Considerations & Limitations
- Understanding AI Behavior and Realistic Use Cases (You are here!)
- Understanding the Full Prompt Display
- AI Configuration Security & Data Privacy
Overview
Akeneo's AI capabilities are designed to assist your team in creating, translating, and improving product information — not to replace your product experts. By understanding what AI Configurations can do well (and what they cannot), you can write better prompts, interpret outputs correctly, and use the system confidently.
This page outlines:
- The types of tasks AI handles effectively
- Its technical and contextual limitations
- Best practices for maintaining quality
- Realistic examples of good versus poor prompts
What AI can do
AI Configurations in Akeneo PIM perform best when working with your existing data and structure. The AI uses the data you provide in your catalog — it does not invent facts, although like any AI engine it can occasionally hallucinate.
The AI can:
- Generate new product content such as short descriptions, marketing blurbs, or bullet points.
- Translate localized content between supported languages while maintaining tone and brand style.
- Summarize or reformat data to improve readability or meet basic marketplace requirements.
- Analyze data quality and identify missing or inconsistent information.
- Interpret assets (images or PDFs) included in your AI Configuration to extract relevant details.
- Follow structured instructions that clearly define the role, tone, and output format.
- Respect attribute character limits during both generation and translation. AI Configurations automatically detect the Max Characters validation rule defined on your text Attributes and ensure the output fits strict retailer or channel constraints without manual trimming.
Example: If your AI Configuration includes Product Name, Material, and Short Description as source Attributes, the AI can write a consistent product paragraph highlighting features, benefits, and material composition.
What AI cannot do
AI Configurations in Akeneo PIM work entirely within the data and context available inside your PIM.
AI cannot access external sources, browse the internet, or "know" things that aren't in your catalog.
| Limitation | Description |
|---|---|
| Web search | AI Configurations do not access live internet data or external websites. They can only use product information stored in Akeneo PIM. The underlying AI model has a training cutoff date and will not be aware of events or product changes that occurred after that date. |
| Real-time product validation | AI cannot verify information against online stores or supplier databases. |
| Cross-variant access | The data available to AI depends on which level you are working on. At the product model (parent) level, AI can only use Attributes available on the product model itself — it cannot use Attributes that exist only on its variants. At the variant level, AI can use Attributes defined on the variant plus Attributes inherited from the parent product model (if they are included in the AI Configuration's source data). |
| Category | Product Categories are not accessible in AI Configurations. |
| State memory | Each generation is stateless. AI does not remember previous requests or learn from past generations. |
| Post-processing | Akeneo does not automatically modify or optimize AI output, with the exception of respecting Max Characters limits. Any other validation or transformation must be handled through rules or workflows. |
In short, AI Configurations are not a search engine or a fact-checker. They are a controlled assistant that creates new content only from the data you choose to share with them.
Setting realistic expectations
AI Configurations should be viewed as a smart assistant, not an autonomous decision-maker. They accelerate repetitive tasks, scale content creation, and maintain consistency — but still benefit from human oversight.
Key principles
- Clarity beats complexity A concise, specific prompt produces far better results than a long, vague one.
- AI cannot invent missing data If your Attributes are empty or inconsistent, AI cannot fill the gaps with factual information.
- Be specific about role and tone Clear role definitions like "Act as a technical writer" or "Write as a playful lifestyle brand" dramatically improve results.
- Test before automating Always use Preview to review outputs for several products before enabling a rule for mass generation.
- Review before publishing Treat AI-generated content like a first draft. Review it through Collaboration Workflows or manual checks to ensure accuracy and compliance.
Example: good vs. poor prompts
Poor prompt
"Generate engaging product descriptions using my website data and current market trends. Make sure it sounds nice."
Why it fails:
- AI Configurations cannot access your website or external "market trends."
- "Sounds nice" is too subjective and unclear.
- No role or output format is defined.
Improved prompt
"Act as an SEO copywriter. Using the product name, short description, and key features provided, write one 120-word paragraph optimized for search engines. Maintain a friendly and professional tone."
Why it works:
- Clear role and action
- Structured output request
- Uses data available in the PIM
- Sets tone expectations
Understanding stateless AI
Each AI generation in Akeneo PIM is independent of the last.
This means that if you run the same AI Configuration twice, the content may vary slightly — even with identical data.
This variability is not a bug. It is a characteristic of natural language generation: multiple valid outputs can exist for the same task.
If you need fully standardized phrasing (for example, compliance labels or product safety lines), handle those through fixed templates or Rules, not AI generation.
How to get the best results
| Strategy | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Start with high-quality data | AI accuracy depends entirely on the clarity and completeness of your Attributes. |
| Use structured prompts | Following the C.R.A.F.T.+R framework ensures every instruction is clear and relevant. See AI Prompt Optimizer and Rewriter for details. |
| Use the Prompt Optimizer | Analyze and rewrite your prompt until scores reach a consistent high level. |
| Iterate with Preview | Adjust your prompt wording gradually and compare results. |
| Validate before automation | Once confident in output quality, deploy through the Rules Engine for scale. |
Example use cases that work well
- Product descriptions: Generate brand-consistent copy based on product Attributes.
- SEO metadata: Automate meta titles and descriptions.
- Feature summaries: Create short lists of key benefits for marketplace listings.
- Tone-aligned translations: Translate while keeping your brand voice intact.
- Data audits: Automatically detect missing or conflicting information.
These use cases all rely on structured data within Akeneo PIM and produce measurable time savings for enrichment teams.
Use cases that may not work well
- Generating content based on external data (for example, supplier websites).
- Creating content for empty products with no Attributes filled.
- Producing statistical claims or measurements not present in the PIM.
- Performing real-time comparisons between similar products.
For these scenarios, manual enrichment or non-AI rules are more suitable.
Key takeaways
- AI Configurations are most powerful when used with clear prompts and quality data.
- They cannot research or verify external information.
- Always review and validate AI output before publishing.
- Treat the system as a skilled assistant — it enhances human productivity rather than replacing it.
Next steps
Learn how your data is protected and processed in AI Configuration Security & Data Privacy.
Explore the AI Prompt Optimizer and Rewriter to refine your prompt-writing skills and get consistent, high-quality results.