Set up AI (bring your own key)
The-Y lets you choose your AI provider and charges no AI markup: you enter your own API key (Anthropic, OpenAI or Google) and pay usage directly with your provider at cost. Afterwards, the copilot, summaries, translation with your AI, the knowledge-base deflection bot and AI assistance for WhatsApp templates, flows and booking confirmations are available. Translating also works without a key — on our own server (see below).
Before you start — what you need
- An account with one AI provider of your choice: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT) or Google (Gemini).
- Some credit / a payment method at the provider — otherwise the connection test fails with a balance message (that's not a The-Y error).
- For Google: a Google Cloud project with billing enabled (paid tier). Without billing, no content from WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram goes to Google (why).
Step by step
- Open AI settings. In the app, on the left Settings → AI (under “Advanced” → artificial intelligence).
- Choose the provider. In the dropdown select your provider (Anthropic / OpenAI / Google). Below it a guided help appears with a direct link to key creation + (if needed) to topping up credit at your provider.
- Create the key. Via the link, generate an API key at the provider (see the table below) and copy it.
- Paste the key. Paste the key into The-Y (it is stored encrypted). Optionally adjust the model — a sensible default model is pre-filled.
- Tick "AI active" & "Test connection". The test makes a real mini call. Green = done. If credit is missing, the provider reports it directly (top up and test again).
Where do I get the key?
| Provider | Create a key | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic (Claude) | console.anthropic.com → Settings → API Keys → "Create Key" (sk-ant-…) | Settings → Billing (without credit the test fails) |
| OpenAI (GPT) | platform.openai.com → API keys → "Create new secret key" (sk-…) | Billing → credit/payment method |
| Google (Gemini) | Google AI Studio → "Get API key" | enable billing in the Google Cloud project (paid tier) and confirm it in The-Y — see below |
What the AI can then do
- Inbox: "💡 Suggestion" (a reply draft from the history, grounded in your knowledge base) and "📝 Summary" of a long ticket.
- Translation: customer messages and replies into the respective language — with your provider any language and usually better quality (choose "Your own AI key" under Settings → AI → Translation).
- Custom AI agents (on the "Ask" page + as an inbox picker), auto-triage (category/sentiment/priority) and the KB deflection bot in the WebChat.
New in version 1.1.43: AI assistance for templates, flows and bookings
- WhatsApp templates: "✨ Create with AI" (from one sentence, with a check for the most common rejection reasons), "✨ Translate" (up to 10 languages), "✨ Explain and suggest a fix" for rejections and "utility or marketing?" with the cost per message — guide.
- Automations: "✨ From one sentence" builds a flow (always switched off) and the AI step classifies messages or extracts data, with an "AI unsure" branch — guide.
- Booking confirmation → trip: the AI reads a confirmation (PDF, image or email text) and pre-fills the trip; nothing is saved until you confirm — guide.
- Buttons always visible: the new AI buttons are there even without a key. A click then explains "Add your AI key" (admins get a link to the settings, everyone else "Please ask an admin") — likewise when AI is switched off or the monthly cap or Free limit is reached. Errors from your provider appear as a clear message.
- Traceable: every AI suggestion is logged (who requested, accepted or discarded it) — in the change log (Settings → Change log), and as CSV under Settings → Data backup ("AI suggestions"). The content of a suggestion is cleared automatically after 90 days.
🔒 Your AI provider's data protection
Under Settings → AI you see for each provider what it commits to regarding training and what you need to set. The-Y itself trains no models and passes content only to the provider you set up with your key.
| Provider | What the provider commits to | What you need to set |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Under its contract, does not train on data from the API. Exceptions: feedback you report explicitly, or an explicit opt-in. | Don't opt in to data use, don't report feedback containing customer data. |
| OpenAI | Data sent to the API is not used for training unless you explicitly opt in to sharing. Abuse logs up to 30 days. | Don't switch on sharing data with OpenAI (organisation settings). |
| Google (Gemini) | On the paid tier (project with billing enabled) Google does not use prompts and responses to improve its products; without billing it may use them for that. For services offered to users in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK, Google only allows the paid tier. | Enable billing in the Google Cloud project and tick "My Google project has billing enabled (paid tier)" in The-Y. |
Which content goes to your provider for each function is set out in the privacy policy ("AI functions"). You conclude the data processing agreement with your AI provider yourself (DPA, Annex 2). Provider details as of 2026-10-17; their terms prevail.
📊 Counters and Free limits
You pay the AI costs directly to your provider. The limits only protect our server; everything can be used on the Free plan too.
| Function | Free | Cloud Pro & paid licence |
|---|---|---|
| AI steps in flows | 1,000 per month | unlimited |
| Extracted booking confirmations | 300 per month (documents that don't look like a trip don't count) | unlimited |
| Template AI (create, translate, explain, check category) | no monthly limit, only a brake against abuse | same |
| Flow from one sentence | no monthly limit, only a brake against abuse | same |
- Counters: "AI steps this month" and "Documents read this month" under Settings → AI.
- Limit reached: the button stays visible and explains the limit; an AI step in a flow takes the "AI unsure" branch — nothing breaks off.
- Self-hosted: the same limits with a free key, unlimited with a paid licence.
🌐 Translation: what translates your messages
Under Settings → AI → Translation you choose how messages in the inbox are translated ("🌐 Translate" and "Translate reply"). You don't need an AI key for this — the default works without one.
| Translate with | What it means |
|---|---|
| On our server (default) | Our own translation service (LibreTranslate) on our server in the Vienna data centre, without internet access. Texts are only processed for the translation, not stored and not passed on to anyone. Languages: German, English, Turkish — good for short messages (about 0.5–1.5 s). |
| Your own AI key | Your AI provider from this page translates — any language (including Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian), usually better quality. Texts go to your provider, with whom you have the contract; you pay the costs there. |
| Your own DeepL key | Very good quality. You enter your DeepL API key (stored encrypted). Texts go to DeepL, with whom you have the contract. |
- Rule for WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram: we translate these messages only on our server or with your own key, never through an outside free service. We don't use a free DeepL key (ends in
:fx) there, because DeepL may use Free texts for training — our server translates instead. - Source shown: below every translation you see what translated it, e.g. "translated on our server" or "with your AI key".
- "Test translation" tries the setting right away. The card also shows whether the translation service is running and which languages it has.
- Service unreachable or language not installed? Then you see a clear message. Nothing silently falls back to another service.
Keeping costs in check
Since you pay the provider directly, you have full cost control via their dashboard. In The-Y you can optionally set a monthly spend limit for AI (protects your own budget). The platform itself never spends money on your AI.
Guide values per call (list prices of 9 Oct 2026): an AI step in a flow about $0.0004–0.008, an extracted booking confirmation about $0.003–0.06 — depending on the model. The builder shows the approximate cost per 1,000 runs next to the AI step, and the cost view in Reports names the AI functions.
Troubleshooting
The connection test reports "no key"
No key is saved (yet), or "AI active" is not ticked. Paste the key, tick the box, test again.
Error on test despite a correct key
Usually credit is missing at the provider (especially Anthropic/OpenAI). Top up in the provider dashboard or add a payment method and test again. The error text comes straight from the provider.
The AI buttons don't appear in the inbox
Without an active key the AI buttons are hidden on purpose (nothing breaks). Once "AI active" is on and the test was green, "💡 Suggestion" and "📝 Summary" appear. The new AI buttons (templates, flows, trips), on the other hand, are always visible and explain with a click what is missing.
With Google, WhatsApp messages aren't translated or summarised
For content from WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, Google needs the checkbox "My Google project has billing enabled (paid tier)" under Settings → AI. Enable billing in your Google Cloud project and then tick the box. Confirm again after changing the key.
An AI button says the Free limit has been reached
On the Free plan there are 1,000 AI steps in flows and 300 extracted booking confirmations per month (limits). It continues next month; with Cloud Pro or a paid licence there is no limit.