Using AI to Build Google Forms and Approvals
Instead of manually creating form questions and configuring approval recipients one by one, you can describe what you need using natural language and let AI build it for you. AI can create a complete Google Form with an approval workflow, or update an existing workflow.
AI tools are available on all plans, including the free tier. Usage is subject to rate limits.
Steps to create a new form with AI:
- From the My Forms page, click the menu icon next to My Forms and select Create new form with AI.
- This opens the AI Form + Workflow Builder, which guides you through a step-by-step process to generate a form and workflow.
- On the Describe step, type a description of the form and approval workflow you need. Include details like field names, question types, approver roles, and any conditions. You can also click one of the example templates on the left to pre-fill a starting prompt.
- Optionally enter a Google Drive folder ID to control where the form is created. Leave it blank to use your My Drive root.
- Click Generate Form. The AI may ask clarifying questions — continue the chat conversation until it has all the information it needs.
- On the Review Form step, review and edit the generated form title and fields. Click Create Form to create the Google Form in your Google Drive. A linked Google Sheet is created automatically as the response destination.
- On the Review Workflow step, review the generated recipients, conditions, and groups. You can switch between a table view and a flowchart view to visualize the workflow. Add, edit, or remove recipients as needed, then click Save Workflow to apply.
Tip: Be specific for better results
“Create a purchase order form with fields for vendor name, item description, quantity, unit price, total amount, and department. Route to the department manager for approval. If the total exceeds $5,000, also route to the finance department (sally@example.com & john@example.com) for approval requiring only one response.”
For more example prompts, see our blog post on creating Google Forms with AI.
Already have a form and workflow?
Use the AI Workflow Assistant to update your existing routing.
- From the My Forms page, locate the form.
- Select Actions > Form Settings.
- Click the AI Workflow Assistant button to open a panel on the right side of the screen.
- Describe the routing you need in the chat panel. The AI will analyze your form's questions and generate the appropriate recipients, conditions, and groups. You can continue the conversation to refine the output.
- The generated recipients and groups are previewed in the Recipients tab so you can review, edit, or remove them before committing. Nothing is saved until you click Save.
Have a form that hasn't been connected yet?
Connect the form to the add-on first, then use the AI Workflow Assistant to build your routing.
- From the My Forms page, click the menu icon next to My Forms and select Connect existing form. Once connected, you'll be taken to the form's settings page.
- Click the AI Workflow Assistant button to open a panel on the right side of the screen.
- Describe the routing you need in the chat panel. The AI will analyze your form's questions and generate the appropriate recipients, conditions, and groups. You can continue the conversation to refine the output.
- The generated recipients and groups are previewed in the Recipients tab so you can review, edit, or remove them before committing. Nothing is saved until you click Save.
This is especially useful for complex forms with many questions that need sophisticated routing logic. Instead of manually configuring each recipient and condition, describe the rules and let the AI build it for you.
After generating a form or workflow, you can still edit your form and workflow to fine-tune everything just as you would with a manually created setup:
- Edit form fields directly in Google Forms
- Adjust recipient order, routing conditions, and group settings
- Personalize email templates for notifications
- Be specific about email addresses, role types, and the order recipients should receive notifications.
- Mention conditions explicitly (e.g., “if the amount exceeds $5,000, also route to finance”).
- Include actual department names, email addresses, or team names where relevant.
- You can refine results through follow-up messages — the AI remembers the conversation context.
What's next:
- Learn how to add recipients manually
- Learn how to track requests