Replace Apple’s imperfect Siri with Todoist’s new AI feature

In my last blog post, I mentioned how important it is to write everything down when it’s on your mind. Today, I’d like to show you a faster way to do that. Note that this new functionality is currently only available for Pro and Business users who have Experimentalist mode enabled.

Todoist recently introduced a new feature that enables users to add tasks via email more efficiently and accurately than before.

A screenshot of the last newsletter for Experimentalists

The main message of the newsletter:

Our new AI Assist feature extracts deadlines, links, and key action items from emails sent to Todoist, turning them into actionable tasks without any manual work on your part.

Here’s how it works:

Add any optional notes like “look at this today” to the email you want to send to Todoist.

Forward the message to your preferred Todoist email address (like your Inbox or a specific project).

Let our AI handle the rest 🚀

When you have an email in your mailbox that needs action, simply forward it to your Todoist project. Each project has its own email address, which you can find in the project settings under “Email tasks to the Inbox / Project”.

Send your thoughts by emails to Todoist

Imagine: you can now talk to your phone, and it understands you, automatically creating tasks in your inbox. Thanks to Apple Shortcuts, you can easily replace Siri—which often struggles with comprehension.

In my example, I dictated the following text:

I am talking here to my iPhone. This transcribes the message and will send this message automatically to the inbox of Todoist. The good thing: I do not have to follow some rules.

Todoist created the following task just seconds later in my inbox:

This is how the task looks in my inbox. It was automatically created by AI.

How to set the Apple Shortcut up?

The setup is straightforward. I created a simple shortcut, which you can see in the screenshot below. Here’s what it does: When activated, it starts voice dictation. Once you finish speaking, the transcribed voice memo is automatically emailed to your Todoist project. Simple as that.

Here’s one final pro tip: If you have a newer iPhone, set this shortcut as a command on your Action Button. Simply press the Action Button and start talking—when you’re done, stop the recording. Your iPhone and the Todoist AI will handle everything else.

For a quick demonstration, check out Founder Amir’s video on LinkedIn for a quick intro.