The Future of TextExpander: AI That Empowers You Instead of Replacing You

At TextExpander, our passion has always been simple: Make people more efficient. With the rise of AI, that hasn’t changed, but the tools we use to achieve it are evolving.

Rather than treating AI as a replacement for human effort, we see it as an amplifier. As TextExpander CEO J.D. Mullin explained in our recent webinar, “We are not building technology to replace you or to take your voice away, but actually the exact opposite — to empower you to do your best work, more efficiently.”

That’s the foundation of the next generation of TextExpander: An AI-powered platform designed to reduce workflow friction, strengthen consistency, and help individuals and teams deliver their best work faster.

Our approach prioritizes three things:

Prioritizing your content: Your existing, approved content is always referenced first.

Human-in-the-loop: AI drafts and retrieves, but people decide what’s final.

Trust and security: You have full control over AI functionality in TextExpander, and as always, your data is yours alone.

This is AI built for the realities of modern work: Fast, consistent, secure, and always keeping humans in the lead.

Why AI needs a different approach

AI has become a powerful tool across industries, but its real-world use often reveals two major challenges: Friction and inconsistency.

Friction comes from the way most AI tools are designed. They sit outside your workflow, forcing you to:

Stop what you’re doing

Open a separate app

Type a prompt

Wait for a response

Copy the output back into the system you were working in

As J.D. notes, “Standalone AI tools pull you out of your workflow. You have to leave what you’re doing, open another browser tab or program, type your prompt, wait for a response, copy and paste content, and then go back to where you started. That’s a lot of friction from context switching.”

The second challenge is inconsistency. AI can produce brilliant results one moment and miss the mark the next: A tone that doesn’t match, outdated information, or even “hallucinations.” As J.D. puts it, “Sometimes the results are fantastic, but other times they miss the mark… and the negative impact of this inconsistency compounds when you share with peers, only to find out they get something different.”

These shortcomings make AI difficult to rely on in professional settings. For teams that value consistency, compliance, and voice, unpredictable AI output isn’t good enough. That’s why TextExpander is taking a different path: Using AI not to replace your knowledge but to make it easier to find, apply, and improve—without adding friction or sacrificing trust.

It’s not enough for AI to be powerful. It has to be:

Usable

Reliable

Aligned with human workflows

That’s where TextExpander’s approach stands apart. By embedding AI directly into your workflow and anchoring it to your existing Snippet library, we eliminate unnecessary steps, reduce context switching, and ensure you stay on brand and consistent in tone. In other words, we’re solving AI’s pitfalls by focusing on efficiency, consistency, and control; the same principles that have always guided TextExpander.

Introducing TextExpander AI

TextExpander AI is designed to put the power of artificial intelligence directly into your workflow without the friction or inconsistency of standalone tools. It extends the value of your Snippet library in two key ways:

1. Context-aware retrieval

Finding the right content no longer requires memorizing abbreviations or searching through folders. With a single keystroke, TextExpander AI uses the text around your cursor and suggests the right Snippet from your library, even if you have thousands of Snippets. As J.D. explains, “AI doesn’t replace your Snippets, but it does help you find and expand them more easily. Imagine the perfect Snippet for the situation just showing up automatically.”

For teams, this creates a major advantage: New members can work with the same level of knowledge and consistency as experienced colleagues, accelerating onboarding and ensuring high-quality responses from day one.

“AI doesn’t replace your Snippets, but it does help you find and expand them more easily. Imagine the perfect Snippet for the situation just showing up automatically.”
J.D. Mullin, TextExpander CEO

2. Human-in-the-loop content creation

When the Snippet you need doesn’t exist yet, TextExpander AI can can help you create it. The system generates prompts based on what you’re working on, then produces a first draft you can refine, personalize, and save to your library for future use if desired.

This approach keeps humans in complete control. “AI creates the Snippet, but you, as the human, get to edit the Snippet, expand it, and then choose how and if you want to use it in the future,” J.D. says. By combining AI drafting with human review, teams maintain accuracy, compliance, and brand voice while moving faster than ever.

Together, these capabilities transform TextExpander into a true creative copilot, helping you retrieve your approved Snippets in seconds, generate what you don’t yet have, and keep building a smarter, more effective Snippet library over time.

The AI Flow: Retrieve, create, use, augment

At the heart of TextExpander AI is a simple, repeatable cycle that continuously improves your content by making it more accessible, useful, and better over time.

Retrieve

TextExpander AI starts by helping you find the right content instantly. Using the context around your cursor, it retrieves the best-matching Snippet from your library, with no memorization or manual searching required. This means you can spend less time searching for the right Snippet, always using the best content, and for teams, it keeps everyone on the same page by using approved, consistent language.

Create

When the content you need doesn’t exist yet, you can leverage AI to draft it for you. Context-aware prompts guide the generation process, and you have full control over refining the draft before using or saving it. That means you get the speed of AI without giving up your voice or accuracy standards.

Use

Once you have the Snippet you need, whether it is retrieved from your library or newly created with the help of AI, you can use your approved Snippets in seconds, anywhere you type. We’re putting AI right where you work, making your workflow seamless and efficient. In the same way that TextExpander today works in your email, chat, EHR, ticketing software, or wherever else you type, TextExpander’s AI-powered features will work there too.

Augment

Over time, TextExpander AI helps enhance your Snippet library. Your library doesn’t just grow: It evolves, becoming smarter, more accurate, and more aligned with how you communicate.

As J.D. summarizes, “With this complete cycle, AI makes your Snippet library instantly available, but also helps you keep it up to date and continually improve on it.”

Guiding principles for AI at TextExpander

Introducing AI into TextExpander isn’t about chasing trends. Rather, it’s about strengthening the foundation of how people and teams already work. To ensure AI amplifies productivity without sacrificing trust, we’re building around three core principles:

1. Prioritizing your content

Your Snippet library is your personal or organizational knowledge base. That content is always the priority. TextExpander AI is designed to make what you’ve already approved easier to find and use — only turning to generative AI when something new is needed. As J.D. explains, “We’re making your existing and approved content the priority… for teams, we’re helping ensure everyone stays consistent by using approved, curated content that’s already in your library.”

2. Human-in-the-loop

AI is a powerful assistant and should empower, not replace.. Every AI-generated draft in TextExpander is fully reviewable and editable before being used or added to your library. “AI is a creative copilot in our minds, but we believe humans must always take the lead,” J.D. says. This ensures accuracy, compliance, and the ability to maintain your unique voice.

3. Trust and security

Security is non-negotiable. As has always been the case, TextExpander never stores or transmits your keystrokes anywhere, and nothing is used to train external models. “Your data is your data — full stop,” J.D. says. Users also have full control over AI functionality, with the ability to enable or disable features based on their preferences.

What this means for teams

For organizations, the value of TextExpander AI extends beyond individual productivity. It’s about building consistency, accelerating onboarding, and improving collaboration at scale.

Fewer disruptions, more focus: By eliminating the need to switch between apps or search for the right content, teams spend less time context-switching and more time on meaningful work. A Harvard Business Review study found that employees toggle between apps and windows an average of 3,600 times per day, which makes for a staggering number of potential distractions. Embedding AI directly in your workflow helps cut down on that lost time.

Faster onboarding: New employees can immediately access the same knowledge as seasoned team members. Context-aware retrieval surfaces approved Snippets automatically, helping new hires respond with confidence from the beginning.

Consistency across communications: When Snippets are generated with the help of AI, they still pass through human review. This ensures that every customer interaction reflects the organization’s standards for tone, accuracy, and compliance. As J.D. notes, “It’s a great opportunity to leverage generative AI to build up your library, but still have control and feedback built into that workflow.”

For teams, this means greater efficiency and stronger collaboration, all while ensuring compliance and protecting your brand voice.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to learn new commands or prompts to use TextExpander AI?

No. TextExpander AI uses the same Inline Search you already know:

Mac: Command-/

Windows: Control-/

Chrome: Control-. (period)

Does TextExpander AI work in languages other than English?

The initial release supports English only. Additional languages are planned for future updates.

Which AI models does TextExpander use?

For Snippet retrieval, TextExpander uses local transformer-based models and Google Nano in Chrome to keep data secure on your device. For generative content, the current preview uses Gemini, but the platform is being designed to support additional models, including the possibility of bringing your own.

How does context-aware retrieval know which Snippet to suggest?

TextExpander AI uses intent-based search around your cursor rather than just keywords. You can also highlight specific text to guide the search. If the AI doesn’t surface what you need, you can still fall back on keyword search.

Is this feature web-only?

The preview is launching through the Chrome extension first, and functionality for the desktop apps will be added soon after.

Can AI functionality be turned on or off?

Yes. In the general release, users will have full control over whether AI is enabled, ensuring flexibility for different workflows.

When will it be available?

The technology is being tested with early adopters. A waitlist is open now, and broader availability will follow soon.

How much context does the AI use around the cursor?

This depends on the application. TextExpander is refining context windows to balance accuracy and relevance, while ensuring all processing stays local to your machine.

Can teams manage Snippet approvals?

Yes. Initially, AI-generated Snippets are saved to personal libraries. Soon, a request-and-approval workflow will allow admins to review, comment, and publish Snippets across an organization.

Your workflow, supercharged

The next generation of TextExpander combines the speed and flexibility of AI with the trust, consistency, and human oversight that you rely on. By embedding AI directly into your workflow, we’re removing friction, strengthening collaboration, and helping every user work smarter and faster.

As J.D. puts it, “TextExpander has always been about human efficiency, but now we’re giving you the tools to do more, do it faster, and with full confidence in the results.”If you’d like to be among the first to experience TextExpander AI, you can join the waitlist here. You’ll get early access and the opportunity to help shape the future of TextExpander.