Discourse has introduced its new AI Bot module, designed to enhance community engagement by offering instant, conversational AI assistance powered by OpenAI (ChatGPT) or Anthropic (Claude). Available to both hosted and self-hosted sites, the AI Bot integrates seamlessly into Discourse, allowing users to ask questions, request suggestions, or generate content—all via direct personal messages. Key benefits include 24/7 availability, collaborative multi-user conversations, reduced friction in finding answers, and centralized administrative controls for auditing and access management. The bot supports multiple personas tailored to different needs: Forum Helper (searches your Discourse instance), Settings Explorer (helps with site settings), SQL Helper (crafts data explorer queries), Artist (generates images via Stable Diffusion XL), Researcher (accesses Google for external info), and Creative (generates ideas without external tools). Administrators can enable the bot for specific user groups, with staff having default access. To use it, users click the AI Bot icon in the top right, start a conversation, and receive real-time streamed responses, automatically titled for easy reference. Whether you’re new or experienced with Discourse, the AI Bot aims to simplify tasks and boost productivity across all levels of community management. Saif encourages users to try it out by enabling the module and entering their API keys.
Our Discourse AI modules are designed to make your community experience easier, simpler, faster and hopefully, more fun. Today, we’re excited to announce the “AI Bot” module, which uses the power of conversation to help you get any of your questions, suggestions, recommendations, or comments answered in seconds. All you have to do is ask!