Generate text with Box AI

Box AI API is available to all customers Business and above.

You can use Box AI to generate text based on provided content. For example, you can ask Box AI to generate a template based on the content you read or create in Box Notes. Then you can embed the generated text directly into your document.

Before you start

Make sure you followed the steps listed in to create a platform app and authenticate.

Send a request

To send a request, use the POST /2.0/ai/text_gen endpoint.

curl -i -L POST "https://api.box.com/2.0/ai/text_gen" \
     -H "content-type: application/json" \
     -H "authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>" \
     -d '{
          "prompt": "Write a social media post about protein powder.",
          "items": [
         {
            "id": "12345678",
            "type": "file",
            "content": "More information about protein powders"
        },
        ],
          "dialogue_history": [
            {
                "prompt": "Can you add some more information?",
                "answer": "Public API schemas provide necessary information to integrate with APIs...",
                "created_at": "2013-12-12T11:20:43-08:00"
            }
        ],
          "ai_agent": {
            "type": "ai_agent_text_gen",
            "basic_gen": {
              "model": "openai__gpt_5_mini"
            }
         }
     }'

await client.ai.createAiTextGen({
  prompt: 'Parapharse the document.s',
  items: [
    new AiTextGenItemsField({
      id: fileToAsk.id,
      type: 'file' as AiTextGenItemsTypeField,
      content:
        'The Earth goes around the sun. Sun rises in the East in the morning.',
    }),
  ],
  dialogueHistory: [
    {
      prompt: 'What does the earth go around?',
      answer: 'The sun',
      createdAt: dateTimeFromString('2021-01-01T00:00:00Z'),
    } satisfies AiDialogueHistory,
    {
      prompt: 'On Earth, where does the sun rise?',
      answer: 'East',
      createdAt: dateTimeFromString('2021-01-01T00:00:00Z'),
    } satisfies AiDialogueHistory,
  ],
  aiAgent: aiTextGenAgentConfig,
} satisfies AiTextGen);

client.ai.create_ai_text_gen(
    "Parapharse the document.s",
    [
        CreateAiTextGenItems(
            id=file_to_ask.id,
            type=CreateAiTextGenItemsTypeField.FILE,
            content="The Earth goes around the sun. Sun rises in the East in the morning.",
        )
    ],
    dialogue_history=[
        AiDialogueHistory(
            prompt="What does the earth go around?",
            answer="The sun",
            created_at=date_time_from_string("2021-01-01T00:00:00Z"),
        ),
        AiDialogueHistory(
            prompt="On Earth, where does the sun rise?",
            answer="East",
            created_at=date_time_from_string("2021-01-01T00:00:00Z"),
        ),
    ],
    ai_agent=ai_text_gen_agent_config,
)

await client.Ai.CreateAiTextGenAsync(requestBody: new AiTextGen(prompt: "Parapharse the document.s", items: Array.AsReadOnly(new [] {new AiTextGenItemsField(id: fileToAsk.Id, type: AiTextGenItemsTypeField.File) { Content = "The Earth goes around the sun. Sun rises in the East in the morning." }})) { DialogueHistory = Array.AsReadOnly(new [] {new AiDialogueHistory() { Prompt = "What does the earth go around?", Answer = "The sun", CreatedAt = Utils.DateTimeFromString(dateTime: "2021-01-01T00:00:00Z") },new AiDialogueHistory() { Prompt = "On Earth, where does the sun rise?", Answer = "East", CreatedAt = Utils.DateTimeFromString(dateTime: "2021-01-01T00:00:00Z") }}) });

try await client.ai.createAiTextGen(requestBody: AiTextGen(prompt: "Parapharse the document.s", items: [AiTextGenItemsField(id: fileToAsk.id, type: AiTextGenItemsTypeField.file, content: "The Earth goes around the sun. Sun rises in the East in the morning.")], dialogueHistory: [AiDialogueHistory(prompt: "What does the earth go around?", answer: "The sun", createdAt: try Utils.Dates.dateTimeFromString(dateTime: "2021-01-01T00:00:00Z")), AiDialogueHistory(prompt: "On Earth, where does the sun rise?", answer: "East", createdAt: try Utils.Dates.dateTimeFromString(dateTime: "2021-01-01T00:00:00Z"))]))

client.getAi().createAiTextGen(new AiTextGen.Builder("Parapharse the document.s", Arrays.asList(new AiTextGenItemsField.Builder(fileToAsk.getId()).type(AiTextGenItemsTypeField.FILE).content("The Earth goes around the sun. Sun rises in the East in the morning.").build())).dialogueHistory(Arrays.asList(new AiDialogueHistory.Builder().prompt("What does the earth go around?").answer("The sun").createdAt(dateTimeFromString("2021-01-01T00:00:00Z")).build(), new AiDialogueHistory.Builder().prompt("On Earth, where does the sun rise?").answer("East").createdAt(dateTimeFromString("2021-01-01T00:00:00Z")).build())).aiAgent(aiTextGenAgentConfig).build())

List<BoxAIDialogueEntry> dialogueHistory = new ArrayList<>();
dialogueHistory.add(
        new BoxAIDialogueEntry(
            "Make my email about public APIs sound more professional",
            "Here is the first draft of your professional email about public APIs.",
            BoxDateFormat.parse("2013-05-16T15:26:57-07:00")
        )
    );
BoxAIResponse response = BoxAI.sendAITextGenRequest(
    api,
    "Write an email to a client about the importance of public APIs.",
    Collections.singletonList(new BoxAIItem("123456", BoxAIItem.Type.FILE)),
    dialogueHistory
);

items = [{
    "id": "1582915952443",
    "type": "file",
    "content": "More information about public APIs"
}]
dialogue_history = [{
        "prompt": "Make my email about public APIs sound more professional",
        "answer": "Here is the first draft of your professional email about public APIs",
        "created_at": "2013-12-12T10:53:43-08:00"
    },
    {
        "prompt": "Can you add some more information?",
        "answer": "Public API schemas provide necessary information to integrate with APIs...",
        "created_at": "2013-12-12T11:20:43-08:00"
}]
ai_agent = {
    'type': 'ai_agent_text_gen',
    'basic_gen': {
        'model': 'openai__gpt_3_5_turbo_16k'
    }
}
answer = client.send_ai_text_gen(
    dialogue_history=dialogue_history,
    items=items,
    prompt="Write an email to a client about the importance of public APIs.",
    ai_agent=ai_agent
)
print(answer)

BoxAIResponse response = await client.BoxAIManager.SendAITextGenRequestAsync(
    new BoxAITextGenRequest
    {
        Prompt = "What is the name of the file?",
        Items = new List<BoxAITextGenItem>() { new BoxAITextGenItem() { Id = "12345" } },
        DialogueHistory = new List<BoxAIDialogueHistory>()
        {
            new BoxAIDialogueHistory() { Prompt = "What is the name of the file?", Answer = "MyFile", CreatedAt = DateTimeOffset.Parse("2024-05-16T15:26:57-07:00") }
            new BoxAIDialogueHistory() { Prompt = "What is the size of the file?", Answer = "10kb", CreatedAt =  DateTimeOffset.Parse("2024-05-16T15:26:57-07:00") }
        }
    };
);

client.ai.textGen(
    {
        prompt: 'What is the capital of France?',
        items: [
            {
                type: 'file',
                id: '12345'
            }
        ],
        dialogue_history: [
            {
                prompt: 'What is the capital of France?',
                answer: 'Paris',
                created_at: '2021-10-01T00:00:00Z'
            },
            {
                prompt: 'What is the capital of Germany?',
                answer: 'Berlin',
                created_at: '2021-10-01T00:00:00Z'
            }
        ]
    })
    .then(response => {
        /* response -> {
            "answer": "The capital of France is Paris.",
            "created_at": "2021-10-01T00:00:00Z",
            "completion_reason": "done"
        } */
    });

Parameters

To make a call, you must pass the following parameters. Mandatory parameters are in bold. The items array must contain exactly one element. For full details on prompt and file limits, see .

Parameter	Description	Example
`prompt`	The request for Box AI to generate or refine the text. Maximum 10,000 characters.	Create a meeting agenda for a weekly sales meeting.
`items.id`	Box file ID of the document.	`1233039227512`
`items.type`	The type of the supplied input.	`file`
`items.content`	The content of the item, often the text representation.	`This article is about Box AI`.
`dialogue_history.prompt`	The prompt previously provided by the client and answered by the Large Language Model (LLM).	`Make my email about public APIs sound more professional`
`dialogue_history.answer`	The answer previously provided by the LLM.	`Here is a draft of your professional email about public APIs.`
`dialogue_history.created_at`	The ISO date formatted timestamp of when the previous answer to the prompt was created.	`2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00`
`ai_agent`	Override the default model configuration. Lets you change the model, prompt template, system message, or LLM parameters. See for how it works and for examples.

Use cases

Generate text based on the provided file content and a prompt.

curl -i -L POST "https://api.box.com/2.0/ai/text_gen" \
     -H "content-type: application/json" \
     -H "authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>" \
     -d '{
    "items": [
        {
            "id": "12345678",
            "type": "file"
        }
    ],
    "prompt": "Create a short blog post that provides information on Box AI for Documents and focuses on best practices for asking questions. You can add emoticons, but not too many."
}'

The result will be as follows:

{
    "answer": "📝 **Box AI for Documents: Best Practices for Asking Questions** 🤔\n\n---\n\nWelcome to our blog post on Box AI for Documents! 🎉 Today, we're going to dive into some best practices when it comes to asking questions within this innovative platform.\n\n1. **Be Clear and Concise**: When formulating a question in Box Notes, make sure your query is clear and to the point. This helps Box AI understand exactly what you're looking for.\n\n2. **Provide Context**: Giving context around your question can significantly improve the accuracy of the response generated by Box AI. Include relevant details or background information.\n\n3. **Use Keywords**: Utilize keywords related to your query within the question itself. This can help Box AI better identify the main topic of your inquiry.\n\n4. **Avoid Ambiguity**: Try to avoid vague or ambiguous questions that could lead to misunderstandings. The more precise you are, the better Box AI can assist you.\n\n5. **Review Suggestions Carefully**: After receiving suggestions from Box AI, take the time to review them carefully before incorporating them into your document. Ensure they align with your intended message.\n\nBy following these best practices, you can maximize the effectiveness of Box AI for Documents and streamline your workflow like never before! 💼✨\n\nStay tuned for more tips and tricks on leveraging technology for enhanced productivity! 👩‍💻🚀",
    "created_at": "2024-11-04T02:46:23.459-08:00",
    "completion_reason": "done"
}

​Before you start

​Send a request

​Parameters

​Use cases

Before you start

Send a request

Parameters

Use cases