Lindy AI Wants to Replace Your Assistant And Maybe Your Job

Artificial intelligence has long been touted as a transformative force in the workplace, but its adoption has often been limited by the technical expertise required to deploy and integrate AI-driven systems. Lindy.ai is attempting to bridge this gap by offering a no-code platform that allows users to create AI-powered automations, or “AI employees,” without any programming knowledge. By focusing on usability and accessibility, Lindy aims to bring AI-driven task automation to businesses and individuals who might otherwise lack the technical resources to build their own AI workflows.

The AI Rickroll Incident

One of the more amusing incidents in Lindy’s history occurred when an AI assistant unintentionally Rickrolled a client. When asked for a tutorial video, the AI sent a link to Rick Astley’s 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” instead of a real instructional video. The mistake, while humorous, underscored a broader issue with AI: models trained on vast amounts of internet data inevitably absorb online culture, including memes like Rickrolling.

Flo Crivello, Lindy’s CEO, explained that this happened because language models predict the most probable sequence of text based on their training data. Since the request for a video tutorial was common, and YouTube links often follow such requests, the AI inadvertently reproduced a decades-old internet prank. Though this glitch only occurred twice out of millions of responses, Lindy quickly patched it by adding a line to its system prompt instructing AI assistants not to Rickroll users.

This episode raises important questions about how AI assimilates online culture and how companies can ensure that AI assistants maintain professionalism while avoiding unexpected behaviors rooted in internet humor. Lindy’s quick fix demonstrates how rapidly AI tools can be updated, but it also highlights the challenges of building AI assistants that act reliably in professional settings.

No-Code AI Assistants for Business and Productivity

Lindy is more than just an AI chatbot. It enables users to create fully functional AI employees. Unlike traditional AI models that generate text or images, Lindy’s agents perform actual tasks, integrating into workflows like a human assistant would.

Crivello describes the platform as an AI-powered assembly line, where multiple Lindy assistants can collaborate to handle complex operations. For example, a “Competitive Intel Manager” Lindy could oversee several “Competitive Analyst” Lindies, each monitoring different competitors. The AI agents can also autonomously trigger actions based on predefined conditions, such as responding to a new email or ticket.

“You can create Lindies in as little as 30 seconds,” Lindy claims, making it an accessible tool for businesses looking to automate workflows without hiring developers.

Lindy positions itself as the first platform that allows users to build AI employees capable of executing tasks, rather than merely generating content like copywriting or illustrations. Unlike other AI tools that focus on singular tasks, Lindy’s AI agents can take actions on behalf of users, making them more akin to digital workers than passive assistants.

The process of creating an AI assistant in Lindy is designed to be straightforward:

• Users describe what they want their AI to do in plain English.
• The AI then creates a workflow, pulling in relevant apps and integrations as needed.
• Once created, the AI assistant can operate autonomously, triggered by specific events such as receiving an email, a new ticket being opened, or a scheduled task needing completion.

Lindy also allows users to create interconnected AI teams, or “Societies of Lindies.” For example, a Competitive Intel Manager Lindy can generate individual Competitive Analyst Lindies to track different competitors. Similarly, Lindy’s own engineering team has deployed AI employees to find API documentation, distribute tasks, write and QA code, and oversee the entire process.

The One-Time App Concept

One of Lindy’s key innovations is the idea that AI agents create temporary, disposable applications to complete tasks. “When you ask Lindy to do something, she actually writes a little piece of code to perform the task for you,” Crivello explains.

For example, if a user asks Lindy to schedule a meeting with a colleague, the AI will generate a small piece of code that checks the user’s calendar, finds available time slots, drafts an email, and follows up if necessary.

“It costs on the order of $0.01 to build an application,” Crivello says. “And so effectively you’re going to live in a world where bespoke mini applications are built for every little use case you have throughout your day.”

He likens this shift to the Industrial Revolution, where mass production made goods so cheap that disposable versions became the norm. Instead of refilling a pen, people buy new Bic pens. Similarly, Lindy makes software so inexpensive that apps can be discarded after a single use.

AI in the Workplace

Crivello is confident that AI agents will replace certain jobs, particularly roles that revolve around processing text. “What are the occupations that we give the most money to understand and produce text? No offense, but journalists are one,” he says. “Lawyers are another.”

However, he pushes back against the fear that AI is taking away jobs. “It’s funny, because everybody’s like, ‘Oh, robots are stealing our jobs,’ and I’m like, ‘No, humans have been doing robot jobs.’ I think it’s tragic that we’re having humans perform such basic tasks all day.”

Instead, he sees AI as a way to free people from repetitive work. “You should just spend your entire day in flow state and do whatever you do best. And then a machine should take care of all the logistical work around that.”

Lindy Mobile

Recognizing that many professionals rely on their phones for productivity, Lindy recently launched a mobile app for iOS and Android. The app offers features such as:

• Real-time syncing across devices, ensuring that conversations and task histories remain accessible.
• Voice-to-text capabilities for easy interaction and real-time meeting transcriptions.
• Instant notifications for updates from AI assistants.

With this mobile integration, Lindy makes it easier for users to manage their AI assistants on the go, further integrating AI into everyday work routines.

Lindy’s Business Model and Pricing

Lindy operates on a freemium model, with a free plan offering 400 credits (equivalent to 400 tasks) and a 1M character knowledge base. For users requiring more extensive automation, paid plans start at $29.99 per month for 3,000 credits and premium features. Higher-tier plans, including a $199.99 per month option that provides a dedicated solutions engineer, are also available. Additionally, Lindy offers custom AI automation development services for $500.

The platform’s focus on usability, scalability, and team-based AI workflows differentiates it from traditional automation tools. While AI’s increasing presence in the workplace raises concerns about job displacement, Lindy’s approach suggests that AI could function as a productivity enhancer rather than a direct replacement for human workers.

“The future of business will simply come down to the ability to manage these AI teams,” he says. With AI agents becoming more capable, businesses may no longer be constrained by hiring challenges or resource limitations. Instead, they can scale operations as needed, using AI to fill in the gaps.

For now, Lindy has been known to be one of the AI agent startups to watch out for. Whether it’s scheduling a meeting, drafting an email, or keeping track of competitors, Lindy’s AI workforce is ready to step in, just as long as it doesn’t send you a Rick Astley video instead.