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Slack · Workplace apps2 min read

Slack adds tools to cut busywork, including an AI helper that acts on its own

Slack's latest update lets its AI helper act on its own when something happens, and it tidies to-dos and saved items. Some features may depend on your plan.

By the Dashline deskSource: Small Business Trends
Slack adds tools to cut busywork, including an AI helper that acts on its own
Photo: Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0

Slack's AI helper, called Slackbot, no longer has to wait for you to ask. It can now act the moment something happens, such as when a deal changes stage in Salesforce. That is the biggest change in Slack's latest batch of updates, which also cleans up to-dos and saved items.

The helper that acts on its own

Until now, Slackbot needed a prompt from a user before it did anything. Now it can run on triggers. Slack's own words are that it "acts the moment something happens, no prompt needed." Teams can choose how much responsibility to hand over. Slack also added Slackbot Mini, which stays in a floating window on the menu bar so you can get quick answers without leaving what you are doing.

What else changed

Slack describes this month's batch as treats with "no scary surprises." Most of it is about spending less time hunting for things.

  • To-dos: in-progress and finished tasks now sit together, not on separate tabs.
  • Saved page: archived and bookmarked items now live in one place.
  • Bulk actions, sorting and filtering make long lists faster to handle.
  • Sidebar: you can reorder items so your most-used tabs come first.

Slack's tagline for the to-do and saved changes is "Less digging, more doing."

Insights for channel managers

Channel managers get a new view of how a channel is doing. It shows real-time activity trends and top messages. The data can be exported as a CSV file, a simple format that opens in spreadsheet programs. That makes it easy to share with a boss, a client or a teammate.

Slack also opened up its Code API, a way for software to connect to Slack. The goal is to let teams build AI agents, which are tools that do tasks for you, as part of daily work. Slack says this is meant to involve more than just developers.

What to check before you count on it

Not everything will reach everyone at once. Some features may arrive later or depend on your Slack plan. That matters most for small teams watching costs. Before you plan around the new Slackbot abilities, check whether your plan includes them and whether they add to your bill. The material does not say which plan gets which feature, or what any of it costs.

The takeaway

If your team uses Slack, check which of these features your plan includes and what they cost before you rely on them.

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