Slack Rolls Out AI‑Powered Slackbot to Boost Workplace Productivity
Key Points
- Slackbot is being redesigned with generative AI to handle tasks like project planning and report analysis.
- The AI bot integrates with Google Drive, Salesforce, and OneDrive for cross‑service insights.
- Additional AI tools include writing assistance in Canvas and automatic channel recaps.
- Chat content is used to train AI models by default; organizations must opt out to prevent this.
- The beta is available to about seventy thousand users, with a full rollout planned by year‑end.
- Companies can disable the AI Slackbot if they choose.
- Salesforce, Slack’s parent, is championing the broader AI integration across its offerings.
Slack is testing a redesigned Slackbot that leverages generative AI to help users with common work tasks. The new bot can draft project plans, highlight daily priorities, analyze reports, and retrieve information across integrated services such as Google Drive, Salesforce, and OneDrive. Available as a beta to tens of thousands of users, the feature is slated for a broader release later this year. Slack also notes that the AI can generate channel recaps, thread summaries, and writing assistance in Canvas, while allowing organizations to opt out of using chat data for model training.
AI‑Driven Slackbot Redesign
Slack is piloting a revamped version of its native chatbot, Slackbot, that incorporates generative AI to assist with everyday work activities. Unlike the original Slackbot, which primarily handled reminders and notifications, the new AI‑enhanced bot can understand natural‑language queries and respond with actionable outputs. Users can ask the bot to create project plans, flag key priorities for the day, and analyze data from reports, all through conversational prompts.
Cross‑Platform Integration
The AI Slackbot is built to work with several major productivity tools. It integrates directly with Google Drive, Salesforce, and OneDrive, allowing it to pull information from these services and deliver clear insights. This connectivity enables the bot to locate documents or data points even when users provide only vague details, streamlining information retrieval across the enterprise.
Additional AI Features in Slack
Beyond the Slackbot upgrade, Slack has introduced other AI capabilities. The Canvas document‑sharing space now offers AI‑assisted writing help, while the platform can automatically generate channel recaps and summarize threaded discussions. These features aim to give employees "AI superpowers" that accelerate productivity at what Slack describes as "AI speed."
Privacy and Data Use
Slack disclosed that, by default, the company uses chat content to train its AI models. Organizations must explicitly request an opt‑out if they do not want their internal communications used for this purpose. This approach has raised awareness about data privacy considerations as the AI functions expand.
Rollout Timeline
The new AI‑centric Slackbot is currently available in beta to a user base of roughly seventy thousand participants. Slack plans a broader rollout by the end of the year, though companies will retain the ability to disable the feature if desired. The company emphasizes that the bot will continue to evolve, eventually enabling users to create custom agents without writing code.
Strategic Context
Slack’s parent company, Salesforce, has been an outspoken supporter of AI technologies, positioning the Slackbot update as part of a larger strategy to embed intelligent automation throughout its product ecosystem.