Slackbot Transforms into AI Assistant with Enhanced Features
Slack is testing a significant update that will enhance Slackbot’s capabilities, transitioning it from a basic tool for reminders to a more sophisticated AI assistant. This revamped Slackbot will assist users in creating custom plans, scheduling meetings, and locating files, reports 24brussels.
The upgrade aims to provide a more personalized experience by allowing Slackbot to generate tailored plans for individual workspaces and sift through extensive messages across various channels. Currently, the tool primarily serves to deliver notifications.
“Slackbot today is fairly rudimentary,” stated Rob Seaman, Slack’s senior vice president of enterprise product. “But what we’ve done is we’ve actually rebuilt it from the ground up as a personalized AI companion.” The new Slackbot will be accessible as an icon next to the search bar within the workspace, enabling users to initiate interactions by typing queries like, “What are my priorities for today?” or “Find the latest updates on a project.”
In a demonstration, Slack illustrated how the AI-enhanced Slackbot can perform complex tasks such as organizing a product launch plan by compiling information from different Slack channels and even assisting in crafting a social media campaign aligned with a brand’s tone.
A notable advancement is the Slackbot’s ability to utilize natural language for searching the workspace. This feature allows users to request documents even if they cannot recall precise keywords, for instance, asking it to “Find me the document that Jay shared in our last meeting.” Additionally, it can integrate with Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar for coordinating and scheduling meetings.
The update builds on existing AI features within Slack, which already include functionalities for summarizing threads and decoding business jargon. Seaman indicated that the team will continue to refine these tools to streamline user experiences. Importantly, the current functionalities of Slackbot—such as automated messages and custom response commands—will continue to be operational.
While companies have the option to disable AI features, individual users in the workspace cannot opt out. Slack’s AI functionalities are powered by Amazon Web Services’ virtual private cloud, ensuring that “no data leaves the firewall, no data is used in the training of the models at all,” according to Seaman.
Initially, the upgraded Slackbot is available to approximately 70,000 employees at Salesforce, its parent company, while testing expands to additional customers. The organization plans a wider rollout to all users by the end of this year.
