Salesforce turns Slackbot into an AI agent

Salesforce rolled out a new version of Slackbot on Tuesday, transforming the automated assistant inside its Slack messaging platform into an AI agent. The updated tool is designed to autonomously find information, draft emails, and schedule meetings directly within the platform. To streamline workflows across different applications, the new Slackbot can also connect to and interact with other enterprise products, specifically Microsoft Teams and Google Drive, provided it is granted permission by the user.

The launch represents a strategic shift for Salesforce as it invests in AI products in a bid to preserve and grow its market share against enterprise software competitors. The remodeled Slackbot was originally announced in October at Dreamforce, Salesforce’s annual conference. According to Salesforce Chief Technology Officer Parker Harris, Slack does not generally release new features in this manner. Instead of typical product updates, this rollout represents a distinct push to drive enterprise adoption through autonomous capabilities. Harris noted he hopes the tool will achieve the same viral adoption seen by OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Before releasing new products, Salesforce typically tests them with its own employees. Harris reported that the new Slackbot has been the most adopted internal tool the company has released. He noted that seeing the active user count was a strong sign that they have hit product-market fit, emphasizing that the tool was adopted, not mandated, in corporations. “It is an agent, it is a super agent that is your employee agent,” Harris said. He added that the tool is powered by generative AI and designed to be a highly crafted and curated agentic experience that employees and users love. Harris stated he is very confident that investing in Slackbot is not only good for Slack but will be incredibly good for the entire company. Looking to the future, Salesforce wants to add voice capabilities and internet browsing functionality to the tool.

Why it matters

Salesforce is pivoting its product strategy to prioritize AI agents, aiming to secure market share by embedding automation directly into the workflow of enterprise users.