Salesforce’s Slack AI recently revealed that customers globally have summarised more than 600 million messages, saving a collective 1.1 million hours across users. In a mission to continue the momentum, it has introduced new features—Slack AI huddle, AI Workflow Builder, and Slack AI search.
It now sees India as a promising market for growth.
India is embracing AI in the workplace rapidly. According to Microsoft and LinkedIn’s latest 2024 Work Trend Index, a staggering 92% of knowledge workers in India already use AI at work, outpacing the global average of 75%.
This strong adoption reflects the confidence Indian employees have in AI’s ability to save time and boost creativity, helping them focus on higher-value tasks.
At the same time, employees are having mixed feelings about adopting AI. Slack’s survey on AI usage highlighted that Maximalists, who not only embrace AI but promote its usage, makeup 54% of India’s workforce.
Other groups like the Underground (20%) use AI regularly but prefer to keep it low-profile, with 64% choosing not to discuss or advocate for AI adoption, while 41% say their companies don’t push for AI use either.
While Rebels (5%) steer clear of AI, citing concerns about fairness and societal impact. In contrast, Superfans (17%) and Observers (5%) represent those engaging more cautiously with AI, with many keen to deepen their skills.
With this backdrop of varying AI personas and a nation highly engaged with AI, the introduction of Slack’s latest AI tools couldn’t be more timely.
Why Slack AI?
“This isn’t just about getting work done. It’s about unlocking new productivity levels to drive results and move business forward for every team and department. In today’s increasingly complex work environment, true productivity requires a work operating system built for the future of work – and that is Slack,” said Denise Dresser, CEO, Slack.
With Slack AI Huddle, key points and action items are automatically captured during discussions, allowing users to focus on the conversation without worrying about taking notes. Invite Slack AI into the huddle, and it instantly organises everything—from real-time audio and messages to shared files—into a concise transcript, complete with citations and action items.
This is something similar to Microsoft’s Team Copilot, which serves as a meeting facilitator within Teams meetings and chats. Recently, the tool got an update, summarising meetings by taking notes, suggesting follow-up tasks based on discussions, ensuring meeting structure by tracking time for agenda items.
But that’s just the beginning. Slack’s AI Workflow Builder takes automation to a new level, allowing users to create workflows with simple conversational prompts. Whether it’s sending a welcome message to new teammates or setting up recurring summaries for important channels, Slack AI handles it all with no manual setup required.
Slack AI has also revamped its search capabilities, making it easier to find the right answers. Now, search results pull not only from conversational data but also from shared files, connected apps, and documents like Google and Microsoft files.
With retrieval augmented generation (RAG) powering the search, every result is personalised and accurate, giving users the most relevant information based on their access. Whether it’s messages or meeting transcripts, Slack AI ensures you’re always equipped with the answers you need, right when you need them.
What’s Next?
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella think AI systems act like “senior employees” and “project managers”.
Major tech players have already unveiled several AI tools that are transforming workplace productivity by automating routine tasks and streamlining communication. Some of them include Google’s AI Teammate, powered by Gemini, Microsoft’s Recall, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT desktop app.
But AI’s impact extends beyond boosting efficiency, it can also play a crucial role in employee well-being. By detecting signs of stress or excessive screen time, managers can intervene proactively, potentially mitigating the risk of burnout or mental health issues.
Moreover, in the context of rising concerns about workplace suicides, AI monitoring could provide critical insights into identifying and addressing distressing behaviours among colleagues.
And so, AI isn’t just a productivity partner, it is also becoming a well-being guardian.
