Salesforce Transforms Slack with AI Makeover: 30 New Features and Smarter Slackbot
Salesforce is taking its commitment to artificial intelligence to the next level, announcing a major AI-focused update for Slack at a San Francisco event on Tuesday. CEO Marc Benioff and his team introduced 30 new features, with the most notable upgrades centering around Slackbot, Slack’s AI assistant. This update continues Salesforce’s mission to transform Slack from a communication tool into a versatile, AI-driven business platform.
The standout innovation is the introduction of reusable AI-skills, which allow Slackbot to handle recurring tasks across different contexts. Users can choose from built-in skills or create custom ones — for example, instructing Slackbot to “create a budget” for an event. Slackbot can then compile relevant data from company channels and connected apps, draft actionable plans, and even schedule meetings automatically, significantly reducing manual effort.
Slackbot now functions as a Model Context Protocol (MCP) client, enabling it to interact with external services such as Salesforce’s Agentforce platform. This integration allows Slackbot to intelligently route tasks or questions to the right AI agent or app within an enterprise, streamlining workflows without human intervention. Additionally, the AI assistant can transcribe and summarize meetings, ensuring employees never miss critical details and always have actionable insights at their fingertips.
The update also extends Slackbot’s capabilities outside the app. It can monitor desktop activities — from calendar events to ongoing deals and conversations — to provide context-aware recommendations and draft follow-ups. Salesforce emphasizes privacy, noting that users have full control over permissions and what data Slackbot can access. According to Rob Seaman, Slack’s interim CEO, these enhancements make Slack not just a communication tool but a proactive, intelligent business assistant.
Since Salesforce acquired Slack five years ago, the platform has experienced significant growth, with around a million businesses now using it. Benioff highlighted that AI integration is part of a broader strategy to embed Slack into core business processes, positioning it as an indispensable tool for enterprises worldwide. The new AI features aim to make everyday tasks faster, smarter, and more automated — solidifying Slack’s role in the future of work.
source: Techcrunch