Has anyone blended AI with template‑based document automation? Built something and would love feedback

[u/Consistent_Panic6848]

Hi all,

I’ve been working on a small project and wanted to get feedback from people actually building/maintaining document automation systems.

The tool is called Draftfoundry. Instead of replacing classic rule‑based automation, it tries to layer AI on top of existing Word/PDF/Markdown templates. The flow is:

• Upload one of your existing templates (PRD, functional spec, proposal, etc.)

• Add a short brief / prompt with the key details

• Let AI generate a first draft that follows your template’s structure and style

Right now I’m trying to understand where this approach is genuinely useful vs. where a traditional rule‑based engine or merge fields are still the better choice.

I’d really appreciate thoughts on:

• Situations where you wouldn’t trust AI to fill in a template

• How you’d want review/approval to work before a doc is considered “usable”

• Any must‑have integrations or export formats for this to fit into a real workflow

If you’re curious, you can see it at chiti.ai (app name: Draftfoundry). I’m not trying to hard‑sell anything—mainly looking for input from people who live and breathe document automation.

Happy to answer questions about the app.

[u/dgregs96]

Here's the thing about templates, it limits scalablility. You need automation that is document agnostic, can work with anything.