Deep dive into dictating and organizing brainstorms

Capture your thoughts on the fly without worrying about structure. With new Apple Intelligence actions in Shortcuts, you can now dictate a stream of consciousness and have the AI automatically organize your spoken words into a clearly formatted, actionable note. This feature transforms how you brainstorm, making it faster and more efficient to turn scattered ideas into organized lists.

What's new

This new workflow is powered by the Use Cloud model action within Shortcuts, which leverages Apple Intelligence's on-device and Private Cloud Compute models. Previously, structuring dictated text required complex third-party integrations. Now, you can simply dictate your thoughts using the built-in Dictate text action, provide a formatting instruction, and let the AI handle the rest. The shortcut can process your raw voice input, identify key points, and restructure them into bullet points or any other format you specify, saving the final organized note automatically.

How to use this feature

1. Create a new shortcut and add the Dictate text action to capture your voice.
2. Add a Text action and write a prompt telling the AI how to organize the dictated text (e.g., "Separate out what I said into several clear bullet points").
3. Insert the Use Cloud model action. In the prompt area, combine your formatting instructions from the Text block and the output from the Dictate text block.
4. Add a final action, like Create Note, to save the AI's formatted response. You can also include the original full transcript for context.
5. Run the shortcut and start speaking your ideas. The shortcut will process your dictation and create a perfectly organized note.

Key capabilities

• Voice-to-Structure Conversion: Instantly transform rambling voice notes into structured lists, summaries, or paragraphs.
• On-the-Go Brainstorming: Capture ideas while walking, driving, or commuting and have them neatly organized and waiting for you.
• Offline Processing: By selecting the on-device model, you can organize ideas even without an internet connection, ensuring speed and privacy.
• Custom Formatting: Define exactly how you want your ideas structured, whether as bullet points, a numbered list, or a summary paragraph.

Tips for getting the most out of this feature

To get the best results, be clear and specific in your prompt to the AI. Instead of a generic instruction, try something like, "Organize the following ideas into a bulleted list of action items for my podcast." This helps the AI understand the context and deliver a more useful output. You can also have the shortcut automatically add the current date to the note title for easy reference.

Summary

The ability to dictate and automatically organize your brainstorms with Apple Intelligence is a game-changer for productivity. This feature bridges the gap between quick idea capture and effective organization, allowing you to focus on your thoughts without getting bogged down by manual formatting. It’s a powerful way to make your voice your most efficient brainstorming tool.