Salesforce adds ChatGPT to Slack messaging service

Salesforce has joined forces with OpenAI to add ChatGPT to its workplace messaging platform Slack in a move which it claims will deliver “instant conversation summaries, research tools, and writing assistance to help millions of companies work more productively.”

Slack, which was founded in 2009, was acquired by Salesforce in 2020 in a deal worth $27.7bn.

The CRM giant claims the majority of senior tech leaders believe generative AI has the potential to help them better serve their customers, take advantage of data, and operate more efficiently, adding that more than four-fifths (81%) 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, with the firm claiming customers will be able to get up to speed faster on channels or threads by providing AI-powered conversation summaries to help users quickly catch up on what is happening.

They will also be instantly find answers on any project or topic and draft messages in seconds to communicate with customers and teams

Slack chief product officer Noah Desai Weiss said: “OpenAI has been a great Slack customer, and we’re even more excited for them to be an amazing Slack partner. 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. 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.”

Microsoft 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.