News
In Brief
- Deeper AI integration — Slack embeds AI tools directly within daily workflows.
- Enhanced productivity features — Capabilities include summarization, action items, translations and unified search.
- Impact for enterprise teams — Improved information access and task management aims to boost efficiency for business users.
Slack announced a new wave of AI and search capabilities on July 17. The platform is integrating artificial intelligence (AI) across its platform to create what company officials claim is a more focused, intelligent and productive work environment.
According to Slack, while 60% of organizations use generative AI, it often falls short of its productivity promise. The company asserts its approach differs by embedding AI directly where work happens rather than treating it as an add-on feature.
Impacted Audiences for Slack's AI Integration
- Business teams seeking improved collaboration efficiency
- IT departments managing enterprise communication platforms
- Cross-functional project managers requiring better information access
AI in Workplace Productivity: Market Context
AI capabilities are rapidly becoming table stakes in workplace productivity tools, with vendors racing to embed intelligent features that solve real business problems rather than just adding flashy technology.
The productivity software landscape has transformed dramatically as major players compete to integrate AI. Google and Microsoft have been locked in an escalating battle, with each embedding AI natively across their ecosystems. This competition benefits users across platforms as innovation accelerates. However, according to industry experts, employees often hesitate to adopt new tools until they trust the AI will genuinely help their workflow.
The most impactful AI applications focus on search and information finding. Recent trends show platforms moving beyond basic chatbots to implement retrieval-augmented generation that draws answers from across repositories. AI-powered features like automatic content summaries, translation capabilities and digital assistants that connect disparate systems are becoming increasingly common.
Today's announcements follow up on the launch of enterprise search in Slack back in February. The company's stated aim is to be a "work operating system." In an effort to consolidate its capabilities in this area, parent company Salesforce changed the permissions around Slack API access, which effectively cut off data access for prominent competitors such as Glean in late May.
Breakdown of New and Future Slack Functionality
The platform is introducing several AI-powered features, with some available now and others coming soon.
Capability | Description | Availability
|
|---|---|---|
Enterprise Search | Searches across connected apps including Microsoft Teams. | Today |
Channel Recaps and Thread Summaries | Summarizes points and extracts action items from conversations. | Today |
Translations | Allows reading and contributing in preferred languages. | Today |
Huddles AI Meeting Notes | Captures key decisions in huddles so teams can stay focused. | Today |
AI Message Explanations | Provides context for team-specific terminology. | Coming soon |
Action Item Detection | Identifies follow-ups and deadlines in messages. | Coming soon |
Profile Summaries | Shows teammate roles and recent contributions. | Coming soon |
| AI Writing Assistance in Canvas | Summarize key points, extract action items and draft first drafts from any conversation. | Coming soon |
Unified Files View | Organizes canvases, lists and documents in one space. | Coming soon |
Slack Background
Stewart Butterfield, Eric Costello, Cal Henderson and Sergui Mourachov founded Slack Technologies in 2009 in Vancouver, Canada. Slack's digital collaboration platform primarily targets business professionals and enterprise teams. The company became a subsidiary of Salesforce following its acquisition in 2020.
Collaboration Platform
The company offers a messaging platform designed to streamline team communication, file sharing and workflow automation. The product is noted for its integration with a wide range of third-party enterprise software, which allows users to manage notifications, tasks and meetings within a single interface. Features such as channels, direct messaging and searchable archives support both synchronous and asynchronous collaboration. The platform also includes APIs for custom integrations and workflow automation.
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