TL;DR
Salesforce has relaunched Slackbot as an AI agent, now generally available for Business+ and Enterprise+ customers. The updated assistant can search for information, draft emails, schedule meetings and — with permission — access other enterprise services such as Microsoft Teams and Google Drive from within Slack.
What happened
Salesforce rolled out a redesigned Slackbot that functions as an AI agent and is now generally available to Business+ and Enterprise+ subscribers. The new Slackbot can locate information, compose emails and set up meetings inside Slack, and it can interact with other enterprise products like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive when users grant permission. Salesforce framed the release as a more agentic, generative-AI driven experience distinct from the prior Slackbot, keeping the familiar name for recognition. The product was first announced at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference in October and underwent internal testing with Salesforce employees before public availability; executives said internal adoption was strong. Salesforce CTO Parker Harris described the offering as a “super agent” and indicated the company plans further enhancements, including potential voice capabilities and web browsing in future updates. The company views Slackbot as part of a broader AI push across its enterprise products.
Why it matters
- Integrates common workplace tasks into Slack, reducing the need to switch between multiple apps during workflows.
- Strengthens Salesforce’s AI product portfolio as vendors compete to retain and grow enterprise customers.
- By connecting to external services (with permission), Slackbot could centralize access to scattered corporate information stores.
- High internal adoption at Salesforce suggests potential product-market fit for enterprise deployment.
Key facts
- The updated Slackbot was rolled out Tuesday and is generally available to Business+ and Enterprise+ customers.
- Capabilities include finding information, drafting emails and scheduling meetings within Slack.
- Slackbot can connect to other enterprise apps such as Microsoft Teams and Google Drive if users grant permission.
- Salesforce first revealed the revamped agent at its Dreamforce conference in October.
- CTO Parker Harris said the new Slackbot is substantially different from the previous version, but retained its name for recognition.
- Salesforce tested Slackbot internally for months and reported it became the most adopted internal tool they released.
- Salesforce positions Slackbot as part of a larger enterprise AI strategy amid heavy industry investment in generative AI.
What to watch next
- Planned additions such as voice interaction and web browsing capabilities that Salesforce says it aims to add in the future.
- Enterprise uptake and usage metrics beyond Salesforce’s internal tests to gauge broader market adoption.
- Privacy, permission and data-access controls as Slackbot integrates with third-party services like Google Drive and Microsoft Teams.
- Not confirmed in the source: whether Slackbot will be expanded to other Slack tiers or consumer offerings.
Quick glossary
- Slackbot: The automated assistant built into Slack; in this update it operates as an AI agent that can perform tasks and access information across apps with permission.
- AI agent: A software component that can perform tasks autonomously or semi-autonomously for a user, often using machine learning and natural language processing.
- Generative AI: A class of AI models that produce new content such as text, images or code based on learned patterns from training data.
- Business+ / Enterprise+: Paid Slack subscription tiers that include advanced administrative, security and collaboration features; these are the tiers for which the updated Slackbot is generally available.
Reader FAQ
Who can use the new Slackbot?
It is generally available to Slack Business+ and Enterprise+ customers.
What can the AI Slackbot do?
It can find information, draft emails and schedule meetings inside Slack, and can access other enterprise apps like Google Drive and Microsoft Teams if granted permission.
Is this the same Slackbot as before?
Salesforce says the new version is substantially different under the hood, though the name was retained for recognition.
Does Slackbot have voice or web-browsing features now?
Not confirmed in the source. Salesforce said these capabilities are planned for the future.
Will free Slack users get the new Slackbot?
Not confirmed in the source.
Slackbot, the automated assistant baked into the Salesforce-owned corporate messaging platform Slack, is entering a new era as an AI agent. And Salesforce CTO Parker Harris hopes it will be…
Sources
- Slackbot is an AI agent now
- Salesforce releases updated Slackbot powered by …
- Salesforce Announces the General Availability of Slackbot
- Native AI in Slack: Powering Collaboration and Productivity
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