Can AI agents or other AI functions scan and interpret attachments in conversations?

Question

Can AI agents scan and interpret attachments in conversations?

Can generative AI answers and generative search for the help center read and return content from attachments or PDF files?

When a ticket is created with no text and just an attachment, how is the language detection supposed to behave?

Answer

AI agents

AI agents process only text in conversations and tickets. AI doesn't scan attached files and media in conversations. However, these attachments are available in the ticket when the conversation is escalated for your agents to review. For more information on AI agents, see About AI agents.

When a ticket is created with no text and only an attachment, language detection in Zendesk doesn't detect any language. Language detection relies on text content to analyze and determine the language used. Without text in the ticket body, the system doesn't have the necessary data to perform language detection.

Note: As of June 1, 2026, there is an early access program (EAP) available for PDF usage in AI agents as a knowledge source. For more information, see Zendesk EAP: Knowledge: PDF Ingestion.

Generative AI answers and generative search

No, generative AI answers and generative search for the help center can't ingest and generate a response based on attachments uploaded in your articles. Because AI responses rely on the help center and your external content, response quality depends on your knowledge base. To make the content available to AI features, embed the attachment content in your articles.