Configuring rich responses from the AI assistant builder

Rich responses are multimedia or structured elements, such as images, videos, buttons, or carousels, that appear in the AI chat. By enabling these response types in the AI assistant builder, you can enhance user interactions, helping users understand instructions more clearly, complete tasks more efficiently, and receive support in a more engaging format.

Benefits of rich responses

Rich responses present information in visual or interactive formats that support clearer communication and more efficient task completion. They reduce ambiguity, support user understanding, and improve the overall experience during support interactions.

Rich responses help users to:

  • Visualize steps by using images and videos.
  • Navigate tasks by using buttons and carousels.
  • Stay engaged through interactive content.
  • Receive consistent experiences across tools.

Supported rich response types

Agent Builder supports the following widget types:

  • Text: Displays plain or formatted text messages to convey information or instructions.
  • Image: Shows visual content such as diagrams, screenshots, or illustrations to support guidance.
  • Video: Embeds video tutorials or demonstrations to walk users through tasks or solutions.
  • Audio: Plays sound clips, voice instructions, or confirmations to enhance accessibility or engagement.
  • Inline frame: Embeds external web content directly into the chat, such as forms, dashboards, or interactive tools. Use inline frames when users need to interact with external systems or view dynamic content as part of the conversation.
  • Card: Presents structured information in a compact format, often with a title, description, and action buttons.
  • Grid: Arranges multiple items in a visual grid layout for comparison or selection.
  • Button: Offers clickable actions that trigger workflows, navigation, or responses.
  • Date: Use a calendar interface to select a date. This widget supports scheduling, filtering, and other time-based inputs.
  • Connect to agent: Provides an option to escalate the conversation to a live support agent.
  • User defined: Inserts custom HTML or reusable content blocks for advanced formatting or branding. This feature is supported only in embedded chat experiences and is not available in platform chat.
  • Option: Use a predefined list to present selectable choices. When the list contains fewer than four options, they appear as pills to simplify decision-making.
  • Carousel: Displays a scrollable set of cards side by side, useful for showcasing multiple options, steps, or items in a compact, swipe-friendly format.

Common use cases

Rich responses are ideal for scenarios where visual or structured content improves understanding. Common examples include:

  • Showing videos or images for troubleshooting.
  • Displaying product carousels in e-commerce.
  • Offering quick navigation buttons for workflows.
  • Using pickers for structured data input.
  • Providing a “connect to agent” option when needed.

Procedure

To import your assistant from the AI assistant builder as a collaborator agent, do the following steps:

  1. Create an assistant. For more information, see Adding more assistants.
  2. Configure the rich responses in watsonx Assistant. For more information, see Response types reference.
  3. Create an agent in watsonx Orchestrate. For more information, see Creating agents.
  4. Import your assistant as a collaborator agent. For more information, see Importing agents from external platforms.

The rich response appears in the chat window after the user sends the message that triggers it.