Automate Repetitive Tasks via AI-Generated PowerShell Scripts - Make Tech Easier

I've always held the belief that computers should serve us, rather than the reverse. This belief was tested when I found myself dedicating endless hours to repetitive tasks. However, this changed when I began leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to seamlessly generate PowerShell scripts for automating my Windows tasks.

Table of Contents

• PowerShell Fundamentals: Automating Windows Tasks
• Utilizing AI to Craft Tailored PowerShell Scripts
• Scheduling Your AI-Generated PowerShell Scripts with Task Scheduler

PowerShell Fundamentals: Automating Windows Tasks

PowerShell serves as both a command-line shell and a scripting language integrated into Windows, offering robust capabilities for system administration and automation, as described by Microsoft.

In practice, you can develop scripts—files that contain commands and instructions for automatic execution—ranging from basic file operations to sophisticated system management tasks.

Numerous pre-existing PowerShell scripts are available online for common tasks. For instance, the PowerShell Scripts Repository hosts over 500 free scripts that address tasks from adjusting system settings to automating file operations. These scripts can monitor drive space, catalog installed software, and even categorize photos by date.

Yet, the real potential of PowerShell is realized when you design custom scripts that meet your specific needs, and this is where AI proves invaluable.

Utilizing AI to Craft Tailored PowerShell Scripts

Let me share how I use AI to generate PowerShell scripts for automating tasks without needing to master PowerShell, illustrated with a practical example.

Recently, I used PhotoRec to recover data from a failing drive, resulting in thousands of files in a single directory, making manual sorting a daunting task. I wanted to automatically sort these files into major categories such as images, audio, documents, and others.

Instead of spending hours learning PowerShell or searching for the ideal pre-made script, I turned to ChatGPT with a detailed description of my needs. Here’s how I framed my request to the AI:

I ensured my prompt included:

• What to do with files that don’t fit my categories
• The exact task I wanted to achieve (organizing files by extension)
• The specific categories and file types for each category

I made it clear in my AI prompt that I was looking for a PowerShell script, not, for example, a Bash script.

Within moments, the AI produced this PowerShell script to automate tasks for me:

<code># Define the source folder as the current directory where the script is executed<br>$sourceFolder = $PSScriptRoot<br><br># Define category folders and their associated file extensions<br>$categories = @{<br>   "Images" = @(".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif", ".bmp", ".tiff", ".webp", ".svg", ".ico", ".raw", ".cr2", ".nef", ".heic", ".psd", ".ai", ".eps")<br>   "Documents" = @(".pdf", ".docx", ".doc", ".txt", ".rtf", ".xlsx", ".xls", ".pptx", ".ppt", ".odt", ".ods", ".odp", ".md", ".csv", ".json", ".xml", ".html", ".htm", ".log", ".tex", ".epub", ".mobi")<br>   "Audio" = @(".mp3", ".wav", ".aac", ".flac", ".ogg", ".wma", ".m4a", ".mid", ".midi", ".aiff", ".alac", ".ape", ".opus", ".amr", ".au", ".voc")<br>   "Video" = @(".mp4", ".avi", ".mov", ".wmv", ".mkv", ".flv", ".webm", ".m4v", ".mpg", ".mpeg", ".3gp", ".3g2", ".ts", ".vob", ".ogv", ".divx", ".asf", ".rm", ".rmvb")<br>   "Archives" = @(".zip", ".rar", ".7z", ".tar", ".gz", ".bz2", ".xz", ".cab", ".iso", ".tgz", ".tbz2", ".lzh", ".dmg", ".pkg", ".deb", ".rpm")<br>   "Code" = @(".py", ".js", ".html", ".css", ".java", ".c", ".cpp", ".cs", ".php", ".rb", ".go", ".swift", ".sql", ".ps1", ".sh", ".bat", ".vbs", ".ts", ".jsx", ".r", ".pl", ".lua")<br>   "Executables" = @(".exe", ".msi", ".app", ".apk", ".dll", ".bin", ".com", ".jar", ".gadget", ".wsf", ".appx", ".appxbundle")<br>   "Other" = @()<br>}<br><br># Create category folders if they don't exist<br>foreach ($category in $categories.Keys) {<br>    $categoryPath = Join-Path -Path $sourceFolder -ChildPath $category<br>    if (-not (Test-Path -Path $categoryPath)) {<br>        New-Item -Path $categoryPath -ItemType Directory | Out-Null<br>        Write-Host "Created folder: $category"<br>    }<br>}<br><br># Get all files in the source folder (non-recursive)<br>$files = Get-ChildItem -Path $sourceFolder -File | Where-Object { $_.Name -ne $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Name }<br><br># Counter for moved files<br>$movedFiles = 0<br>$totalFiles = $files.Count<br><br>Write-Host "Starting to organize $totalFiles files..."<br><br># Process each file<br>foreach ($file in $files) {<br>    $extension = $file.Extension.ToLower()<br>    $targetCategory = "Other"<br><br>    # Determine which category the file belongs to<br>    foreach ($category in $categories.Keys) {<br>        if ($category -eq "Other") { continue }<br>        if ($categories[$category] -contains $extension) {<br>            $targetCategory = $category<br>            break<br>        }<br>    }<br><br>    # Move the file to the appropriate category folder<br>    $targetPath = Join-Path -Path $sourceFolder -ChildPath $targetCategory<br>    $targetFile = Join-Path -Path $targetPath -ChildPath $file.Name<br><br>    # Check if target file already exists and handle accordingly<br>    if (Test-Path -Path $targetFile) {<br>        $baseName = [System.IO.Path]::GetFileNameWithoutExtension($file.Name)<br>        $newName = "$baseName`_$(Get-Random)$extension"<br>        $targetFile = Join-Path -Path $targetPath -ChildPath $newName<br>    }<br><br>    Move-Item -Path $file.FullName -Destination $targetFile<br>    $movedFiles  <br><br>    # Show progress<br>    $percentComplete = [math]::Round(($movedFiles / $totalFiles) * 100, 2)<br>    Write-Progress -Activity "Organizing Files" -Status "$movedFiles of $totalFiles files processed ($percentComplete%)" -PercentComplete $percentComplete<br>}<br><br>Write-Host "File organization complete! Moved $movedFiles files into categories."</code>

The script is thoroughly commented, making it easier to understand and modify if you wish to learn PowerShell and make manual adjustments.

To transform this code into a functional script, I simply copied the entire code block from the AI chat and opened Windows Notepad (or any text editor).

After pasting the code, I saved the file with a descriptive name and the .ps1 extension (such as "organize-files.ps1"). I placed this script directly in the folder with my recovered files and executed it by right-clicking on the file and selecting Run with PowerShell.

In no time, thousands of scattered files were neatly organized into appropriate folders.

Scheduling Your AI-Generated PowerShell Scripts with Task Scheduler

An AI-generated PowerShell script that automates your Windows tasks without requiring manual intervention is even more valuable!

I spend long hours working on my computer and often forget to take breaks, leading to eye strain and reduced productivity. I decided to create a script that would remind me to take screen breaks at regular intervals. Again, I sought help from AI with a clear request:

The AI swiftly generated this eye-saving script:

<code># Script to remind user to take regular screen breaks<br><br># Load required assemblies for notifications<br>Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms<br><br># Function to show break reminder notification<br>function Show-BreakReminder {<br>    $motivationalMessages = @(<br>        "Time for a 5-minute break! Rest your eyes and stretch.",<br>        "Screen break time! Look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.",<br>        "Break time! Stand up and move around for 5 minutes.",<br>        "Your eyes need a rest! Take 5 minutes away from the screen.",<br>        "Productivity hack: A 5-minute break now will boost your focus!"<br>    )<br><br>    # Select a random message<br>    $randomMessage = $motivationalMessages | Get-Random<br><br>    # Create and configure the notification<br>    $notification = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.NotifyIcon<br>    $notification.Icon = [System.Drawing.SystemIcons]::Information<br>    $notification.BalloonTipTitle = "Wellness Reminder"<br>    $notification.BalloonTipText = $randomMessage<br>    $notification.Visible = $true<br><br>    # Show notification for 10 seconds<br>    $notification.ShowBalloonTip(10000)<br><br>    # Clean up after a delay<br>    Start-Sleep -Seconds 12<br>    $notification.Dispose()<br>}<br><br># Display an initial notification<br>Show-BreakReminder<br><br>Write-Host "Break reminder displayed. Set this script to run hourly using Task Scheduler."</code>

This script was exactly what I needed, but I wanted it to run automatically every hour without my intervention. To achieve this, I used Windows Task Scheduler.

I saved the AI-generated PowerShell script as a .ps1 file, then opened Task Scheduler from the Start menu and created a new basic task with a daily trigger.

After setting up the basic task, I modified the trigger settings for hourly execution. In the Task Scheduler Library, I located my newly created task and right-clicked to select Properties. I went to the Triggers tab and selected Edit. In the Edit Trigger window, I checked the Repeat task every: option and set the repeat interval to 1 hour. Under duration, I selected Indefinitely, then clicked OK to save these settings.

I also needed to configure the action settings properly. In the Properties window, I navigated to the Actions tab and selected Edit. For the Program/script field, I entered powershell.exe instead of the direct path to my script. In the Add arguments field, I entered -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -WindowStyle Hidden -File "C:\Users\David\Desktop\eye-saver.ps1", which includes both the execution parameters and the full path to my script.

After making these adjustments, I clicked OK to save the action settings, then clicked OK again on the Properties window to finalize all changes. The effort was well worth it!

The advantage of this AI-driven approach is that once you’ve set up a few automated tasks via PowerShell scripts, your computer begins to work for you in the background, providing those helpful reminders that previously required you to remember or set external alarms.

If you're keen on exploring more PowerShell capabilities for your automation projects, check out our guide on essential PowerShell commands that every Windows user should be familiar with. These commands are the foundation of more complex scripts and will help you understand the mechanics behind your AI-generated automation.

All images and screenshots by David Morelo.

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