A Claris Community Live Recap

On September 11, 2025, the Claris Community gathered for another Community Live event during which Marc Larochelle, Productive Computing CEO, discussed artificial intelligence and FileMaker. The session featured real-world examples of how AI is already transforming the way developers and businesses build solutions.

How to Use AI in FileMaker

The conversation centered on practical AI use cases in FileMaker, not just theory but rather demonstrations you can start trying today. Among the highlights:

• Summarizing Notes and Conversations
  AI can take long, unstructured notes or multiple records and condense them into clear, concise summaries. This is especially useful for customer histories, meeting notes, or support logs where context builds up over time. Instead of manually piecing information together, you get a quick, accurate overview that saves time and reduces errors.
• Validating Records
  You can now rely on AI to automatically check common fields like email addresses, URLs, and zip codes for proper formatting. This reduces the need for custom validation scripts and helps ensure that data entered into your FileMaker solution is accurate from the start. With cleaner records, you’ll spend less time troubleshooting errors downstream.
• Sentiment Analysis
  Feedback is more than just words. It also carries tone and intent. AI can quickly determine whether a customer’s comment is positive, neutral, or negative, giving you actionable insights into their experience. This allows your team to prioritize follow-ups and respond more effectively.
• Creative Assistance
  Whether you need to rewrite a note into a professional tone, translate content into another language, or generate a first draft of customer communication, AI can help. These features streamline everyday tasks like composing emails or producing documentation. By reducing the manual effort, you can focus on refining the message rather than starting from scratch.
• Natural Language Finds
  Searching in FileMaker no longer has to mean remembering exact field names or building complex find requests. With natural language finds, you can simply type a phrase like “customers in California with overdue invoices” and get accurate results. This makes searching more intuitive for both developers and everyday users.
• Semantic Search & Insights
  AI goes beyond keyword matching to understand the meaning behind data. This means you can identify related records, highlight patterns, or spot anomalies hidden in large datasets. It’s a powerful way to uncover insights that might otherwise be missed.
• Image Analysis
  Images stored in FileMaker container fields can now be put to work. AI can extract text from receipts through OCR, tag and classify photos, or identify objects within an image. These capabilities turn static files into searchable, actionable data for your solution.

The AI tools in FileMaker 2025 will help you make FileMaker solutions more intuitive for end users. With AI handling queries, translations, or data insights, your solutions become easier to navigate and more valuable to clients. In short, FileMaker 2025 gives you access to intelligence that once required advanced technical skills, allowing you to deliver smarter apps faster and with less friction.

Q&A Highlights

The session closed with thoughtful questions from the community, including:

Q: How complex can natural language finds get?

A: Simple requests work best, but you can also extend or constrain finds with additional scripting.

Q: What about privacy when using third-party AI services?

A: Avoid sending sensitive data (like customer names or addresses). Most providers also allow you to opt out of training on your data.

Q: Do I need to include field names or special conventions?

FileMaker passes your layout schema automatically. Clear field names and comments can help improve results.

Q: How do I decide which AI model to use?

A: Start with supported, lightweight models for quick tests, then experiment with more powerful ones as needed.

Q: What’s the best way to test for free?

A: Some providers offer limited free tiers, but most require at least a basic paid plan for API access. 

Where to Learn More and Get the Demos

If you missed the live event, check out the community post, watch the recording, and access the demo files in the links below:

• Claris Community Live: From ideas to hands-on. AI and Claris FileMaker 2025 [Community Post]
• Claris video: Community Live 32 From ideas to hands on—AI and Claris FileMaker 2025 [YouTube]
• Contacts: Perform a find by natural language [Claris Academy]
• Text Basics: Generate Response from Model [PCU: FileMaker Free Resources and Files]
• Internet Search [PCU: FileMaker Free Resources and Files]
• Sentiment Summarization (Rosemary): [Community Post]
• Assets: Create images/sample data/analyze Images and data [PCU: AI Essentials Course]
• Dynamic Charting: HTML dashboard/reports [PCU: AI Essentials Course]

Other products and services Productive Computing, Inc. offers:

• What can PCI do for you? – overview of our services
• Health Assessment – a comprehensive report of your FileMaker system
• Consulting and Development – services billed by the hour
• Maintenance and Support – services billed monthly
• Packaged Services – Security Audit, SSL or Server Installation
• Plug-ins – tools to integrate with QuickBooks, Outlook, Google, and more
• Solutions – free customizable and scalable CRM template
• Claris and FileMaker Licensing – discounts on new seats and renewals
• FileMaker and QuickBooks Hosting – host your files in the cloud
• Productive Computing University – online beginner to advanced training courses
• Certification Programs – expert-led training, hands-on development, and personalized evaluations

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