ChatGPT Added To Salesforce’s Slack

Tom Jowitt,
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Image credit: Slack

Salesforce and OpenAI introduce the ChatGPT app for Slack, in an effort to add artificial intelligence to business software

Salesforce has added the popular ChatGPT chatbot to its collaboration software Slack.

Salesforce announced on Tuesday it has teamed up with OpenAI to deliver the ChatGPT app for the workplace messaging platform.

Slack was founded way back in 2009, and its rapid growth over the years prompted a $9 billion takeover offer from Amazon in 2017, before it was eventually acquired by CRM powerhouse Salesforce in 2020 in a deal worth $27.7 billion.

ChatGPT app for Slack

According to Salesforce, the ChatGPT app for Slack was “built by OpenAI on the Slack platform,” and the app “integrates ChatGPT’s powerful AI technology to deliver instant conversation summaries, research tools, and writing assistance directly in Slack to help millions of companies work more productively.”

The CRM giant says majority of senior IT leaders believe generative AI has the potential to help them better serve their customers, take advantage of data, and operate more efficiently. Indeed, it says 81 percent believe generative AI should combine public and private data sources.

This new app, which is currently in beta, combines knowledge found in Slack with the intelligence of ChatGPT.

For example it provides a conversational interface powered by OpenAI’s large language models to get instant conversation summaries to stay informed, research tools to learn about any topic, and provide writing assistance to quickly draft messages.

Therefore with the ChatGPT app for Slack, customers can:

  • Get up to speed faster on channels or threads: AI-powered conversation summaries help users quickly catch up on what’s happening;
  • Instantly find answers on any project or topic: with AI-powered research tools, users can learn and build expertise faster right from Slack — whether they’re researching best practices, prospecting a new account, and more;
  • Draft messages in seconds to communicate with customers and teams: with AI-powered writing assistance, users can spend less time crafting replies, status updates, and meeting notes — and more time putting the plan in action.

“OpenAI has been a great Slack customer, and we’re even more excited for them to be an amazing Slack partner,” said Noah Desai Weiss, chief product officer for Slack. “The ChatGPT app for Slack deeply integrates the power of OpenAI’s cutting edge large language models into Slack’s conversational interface.”

“There couldn’t be a more natural fit,” said Desai. “This will give customers new superpowers by helping them tap the collective knowledge of their organisation’s channel archives. We’re excited to partner with OpenAI to bring more generative AI powers directly into Slack to deliver productivity efficiencies for everyone.”

Business use

Salesforce is not alone by incorporating ChatGPT into corporate software products.

Investor Microsoft for example has already announced that the OpenAI technology can generate meeting notes in its product Teams, as well as suggest email replies to vendors through its Viva Sales subscription.

Redmond has also begun trialling ChatGPT features in its Bing search engine and Edge browser, prompting Google to announce similar plans with its Bard chatbot.