Salesforce rolls out new Slackbot AI agent as it battles Microsoft and Google (venturebeat.com)

Salesforce has unveiled a completely revamped version of its workplace assistant, Slackbot, evolving it into a powerful AI agent designed to streamline enterprise operations. This new version, now available to Business+ and Enterprise+ customers, utilizes advanced large language model (LLM) capabilities and sophisticated search functions to assist employees in tasks such as document drafting, data retrieval, and decision-making. Co-founder Parker Harris emphasizes that the transformation represents a leap in functionality from a basic notification tool to a "Porsche" of workplace AI, reflecting Salesforce's commitment to positioning Slack at the forefront of the burgeoning "agentic AI" movement. By adopting Anthropic's Claude as its underpinning LLM, Slackbot ensures compliance for enterprise users, including government clients, but plans to integrate additional AI providers like Google’s Gemini in the future. Early results from internal testing revealed that 80% of Salesforce employees who tried the new Slackbot continue to use it regularly, claiming significant time savings. Positioned against competitors like Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, Slackbot stands out with its context-aware capabilities that seamlessly blend with existing Slack workflows, reducing the friction often associated with AI tools. Salesforce envisions Slackbot as a central hub for AI coordination across enterprises, enhancing productivity while ensuring that customer data remains secure.