In a recent conversation with AFP, Slack’s CEO, Lidiane Jones, shed light on the remarkable influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the platform’s ongoing AI-powered evolution as a popular workplace messaging platform. Just nine months into her tenure as CEO, Jones has overseen a significant transformation within Slack, positioning the platform to remain competitive, particularly against its archrival, Microsoft. This shift comes in the wake of Stewart Butterfield’s departure, the co-founder and former CEO of Slack, following the company’s acquisition by Salesforce for $27.7 billion.
Slack’s AI-powered evolution
Since Jones assumed her role in January, Slack has been on an impressive journey of rapid development. The infusion of AI into Slack’s ecosystem has been a pivotal element in this evolution. The CEO highlighted that the platform has introduced more features in the past nine months than in several previous years, emphasizing the profound impact of AI on product enhancement.
Jones shared her perspective on the role of AI in addressing the challenges of information overload. She recounted a personal experience where Slack’s AI capabilities allowed her to efficiently catch up on a backlog of messages after a vacation. By leveraging AI for summarization, she managed to save time that would have otherwise been spent on this task, enabling her to focus on more critical responsibilities. Beyond message summarization, AI is being used to automate complex administrative processes, such as expense approval and connecting users with in-house expertise.
Slack distinguishes itself from Microsoft Teams by offering users the ability to engage directly with generative AI chatbots from various providers, including startups like Anthropic and soon OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This openness to third-party apps and tools is a core strength for Slack. It stands in contrast to Microsoft, which faced regulatory scrutiny in Europe after Slack filed a complaint alleging anticompetitive practices related to bundling Teams with its Office Suite.
The power of data for AI excellence
Despite Microsoft’s dominance in terms of user numbers, Jones is confident in Slack’s potential to excel in the AI arena. She attributes this to the richness of data available on the platform, describing it as a critical ingredient in AI’s magic formula. Slack hosts vast amounts of unstructured data generated by employees collaborating across different departments. This contextual data provides Slack’s AI capabilities with significant power and precision.
Jones made it clear that Slack currently has no plans to develop its proprietary language model, recognizing the value of existing models like those from OpenAI. But, she did leave the door open for the possibility of crafting specialized models in the future. Further down the road, Slack envisions the development of highly personalized AI agents, akin to digital secretaries capable of intimately understanding users’ needs and preferences. While this future is plausible, Jones acknowledges that building trust around such advanced AI capabilities will take time, emphasizing the need for users to feel comfortable and secure in this digital realm.
Slack, under the leadership of Lidiane Jones, is navigating the evolving AI landscape with agility and openness. The integration of AI into the platform’s core functionality has brought about a flurry of new features, enhancing productivity and efficiency for its users. Jones firmly believes in the power of Slack’s data-rich environment, positioning the platform as a contender in the AI arena, even in the face of stiff competition from Microsoft. As AI continues to shape the future of workplace communication, Slack appears well-prepared to ride the AI wave and potentially offer users a more personalized and efficient digital experience.
