Ansible Lightspeed AI Provider Compatibility: OpenAI, Azure, IBM Watsonx, and Gemini (BYOM Guide)

Ansible Automation Platform supports Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) for AI-assisted content creation and platform administration. This guide covers the supported AI providers, compatibility matrix, and the difference between the intelligent assistant and coding assistant.

Two AI Capabilities

AAP provides two distinct AI features:

Intelligent Assistant (Chatbot in AAP UI)

Used for platform administration and management — ask questions, troubleshoot issues, and manage the platform through natural language directly in the AAP web interface.

Coding Assistant (VS Code Extension)

Used for automation content creation — generate playbooks, tasks, and roles with AI assistance in VS Code and VS Code derivative editors. Powered by Red Hat Ansible Lightspeed.

See also: Top AI Models: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, LLaMA in Communication

Provider Compatibility Matrix

| AI Provider | Intelligent Assistant | Coding Assistant | |---|---|---| | Red Hat AI | AAP 2.6+ | AAP 2.6+ | | OpenAI | AAP 2.6+ (GA) | Coming Soon | | Azure OpenAI | AAP 2.6+ (GA) | Coming Soon | | IBM Watsonx | N/A | AAP 2.5+ | | Gemini Vertex | Coming Soon | AAP 2.6+ |

Key Takeaways

• Red Hat AI is the only provider supporting both capabilities from AAP 2.6+ • OpenAI/Azure OpenAI are GA for the intelligent assistant but coming soon for coding • IBM Watsonx powers the coding assistant since AAP 2.5 but is not available for the intelligent assistant • Gemini Vertex supports coding from AAP 2.6+ with intelligent assistant coming soon

Configuring AI Providers

Red Hat AI

# Default provider — no additional configuration needed
# Available when Ansible Lightspeed subscription is active

OpenAI

AAP UI → Settings → AI Configuration
  Provider: OpenAI
  API Key: sk-...
  Model: gpt-4o (recommended)
  Endpoint: https://api.openai.com/v1

Azure OpenAI

AAP UI → Settings → AI Configuration
  Provider: Azure OpenAI
  API Key: your-azure-key
  Endpoint: https://your-resource.openai.azure.com/
  Deployment: your-deployment-name
  API Version: 2024-02-15-preview

IBM Watsonx

VS Code → Settings → Ansible Lightspeed
  Provider: IBM Watsonx
  API Key: your-watsonx-key
  Project ID: your-project-id
  URL: https://us-south.ml.cloud.ibm.com

Gemini Vertex

VS Code → Settings → Ansible Lightspeed
  Provider: Gemini Vertex
  Service Account: path/to/service-account.json
  Project: your-gcp-project
  Region: us-central1

See also: Ansible Lightspeed with IBM watsonx Code Assistant: AI-Powered Automation Development

Intelligent Assistant Use Cases

The AAP UI chatbot helps with platform administration:

"Show me all failed jobs in the last 24 hours"
"What collections are installed on the automation hub?"
"Help me troubleshoot why the patching workflow failed"
"What users have admin access to the production organization?"
"Create a new inventory for AWS us-east-1"

Coding Assistant Use Cases

The VS Code extension helps with content creation:

# Type a task description, Lightspeed generates the YAML:
# Install and configure nginx on RHEL 9
- name: Install nginx
  ansible.builtin.dnf:
    name: nginx
    state: present
- name: Start and enable nginx
  ansible.builtin.systemd:
    name: nginx
    state: started
    enabled: true

See also: Elevating Ansible Development with Visual Studio Code

Choosing the Right Provider

| Consideration | Recommended Provider | |---|---| | All-in-one solution | Red Hat AI | | Enterprise with Azure | Azure OpenAI | | Existing OpenAI subscription | OpenAI | | IBM ecosystem | IBM Watsonx | | Google Cloud users | Gemini Vertex | | Data sovereignty requirements | Red Hat AI or Azure OpenAI (regional) | | Lowest latency | Provider closest to your AAP deployment |

FAQ

Can I use multiple AI providers simultaneously?

The intelligent assistant and coding assistant can use different providers. For example, OpenAI for the AAP chatbot and IBM Watsonx for VS Code Lightspeed.

Do I need Ansible Lightspeed subscription for all providers?

Yes. The Ansible Lightspeed subscription is required regardless of which AI backend you choose. The subscription enables the integration framework.

What is BYOM?

Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) means you can use your preferred AI provider rather than being locked into a single vendor. AAP provides the integration framework; you bring the AI model.

Will OpenAI support the coding assistant?

Yes, it's listed as "Coming Soon" for the coding assistant (VS Code extension). Check the AAP release notes for availability updates.

Is my code sent to external AI providers?

Yes, when using external providers (OpenAI, Azure, etc.), your prompts are sent to that provider's API. For maximum data control, use Red Hat AI or Azure OpenAI with private endpoints.

Related Articles

• Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7: What's New • Ansible MCP Server Guide • Ansible Dev Tools MCP Server • Red Hat Summit 2026 Highlights