Tech

Slack promises its new AI features will fix one of its most frustrating problems

The Slack app logo.
Slack. Getty Images
Read in app

Finding an old message or document on Slack can be tough. Now, the messaging app is hoping its new generative AI features will be able to help with that.

Slack announced the new tools in a blog post on Wednesday. The first is aimed at improving search by providing personalized answers, with citations to relevant messages, based on your company's public communications as well as your personal Slack conversations.

a gif of Slack's new generative AI search feature doing searches for "Project Gizmo" and providing answers
Slack

Another helpful trick: If you can't think of the exact key term to use in your search, the AI will "make smart suggestions."

Besides search, the new features can also help summarize long conversations or give you channel recaps to catch up on anything you missed while on vacation, for example.

Slack AI feature that can summarize unread messages for you
Slack

Slack said its new AI features are available now as a paid add-on for Enterprise plans, with other plans coming soon. The company didn't specify pricing.

Other companies have flaunted AI-powered productivity tools of their own in recent months.

Microsoft has started rolling out Copilot, its generative AI assistant built in partnership with OpenAI, to internal teams in an effort to get more developers to use AI. Google recently rebranded its AI portfolio, changing its chatbot's name from Bard to Gemini. The chatbot counts among its competitors OpenAI's ChatGPT and Grok, from Elon Musk's X.

Now, if only Slack could do something about its redesign.

Read next

Sarah Jackson
Sarah Jackson was a senior reporter at Business Insider who covers tech and trending business news, with a focus on the workplace. She has covered The Great Resignation, workplace trends, remote work and RTO, tech layoffs, the job search, and more. Before joining Business Insider in 2021, Sarah also wrote for places like Inc., NBC News, and The Today Show. She received her B.A. in journalism from NYU.Some of Sarah's top stories include:Workers are 'epiphany-quitting' their jobs after the pandemic forced them to rethink everything about their livesJob postings can reveal signs of trouble ahead with a potential employer or role. Here are the red flags that candidates should look for.The 'hushed hybrid' work schedule is the latest way employees are getting around a return to the officeNew York City employers are now required to list salary ranges in their job posts. Here's how that will affect candidates and companies.as-told-to: I do 'Bare Minimum Mondays' at work to help beat the 'Sunday scaries' and avoid burnout. It's completely changed my life and how I approach my job.