Slack will soon make plans, schedule meetings for you
What's the story
Slack, the popular workplace communication platform, is testing a major upgrade for its Slackbot feature. The update will transform the bot from a basic reminder and notification tool into an advanced AI assistant. The revamped Slackbot will be able to create personalized plans for your workspace, sift through large volumes of messages, and gather information from multiple Slack channels.
AI evolution
Slackbot is being rebuilt from the ground up
Slack's Chief Product Officer Rob Seaman explained the transformation of Slackbot in an interview with The Verge. He said, "Slackbot today is fairly rudimentary." But now, they are "actually rebuilding it from the ground up as a personalized AI companion." This new version of Slackbot will show up as an icon next to the search bar at the top of your workspace.
User interaction
Users can ask Slackbot about their daily priorities
The updated Slackbot will open a DM-like panel on the right side of the screen when clicked. Users can then enter prompts like "What are my priorities for today?" or "Find the latest updates on a project." The AI-powered bot will use data from your conversations, files, and workspace to provide personalized assistance.
Enhanced features
The bot can also help in organizing a product launch
The AI-enhanced Slackbot can also perform complex tasks like organizing a product launch plan within a Canvas by collecting information from different Slack channels. It can even help create social media campaigns in line with a brand's tone. The new bot can search through workspaces using natural language, making it easier to find documents without knowing the exact keyword they were attached to.
Cross-platform coordination
It will be able to schedule meetings
The upgraded Slackbot can connect with Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar. This feature enables it to coordinate and schedule meetings with colleagues seamlessly. The AI-powered capabilities of Slack are already capable of summarizing threads, channels, and interpreting company jargon. These features will continue to be available even after the introduction of the new AI assistant in Slackbot.
AI deployment
Upgrade will be available for all users by year-end
Slack's AI features work on Amazon Web Services's virtual private cloud, ensuring that no data leaves the firewall or is used in training models. While companies can opt out of using an AI Slackbot, individual users within a workspace cannot. The upgraded bot is already available for 70,000 employees at Salesforce and is being tested with other customers as well. It will be rolled out to all users by the end of this year.