Since early 2024, Slack has been gradually adding artificial intelligence to its platform to help users in different ways. These AI features now fall into three main categories: a built-in chatbot, a new tool called Agentforce, and custom assistant APIs. Each serves a different purpose and is suited to different skill levels and business needs.
In this article, we discuss how to use Slack's AI features and the challenges users face, and discuss AI capabilities provided by third-party applications that integrate with Slack.
What AI capabilities does Slack offer
1. Slack AI chatbot
Slack’s first AI feature was a built-in chatbot, launched for paid users in early 2024. It’s designed to read and summarize existing content. What it can do:
Summarize conversations in channels and threads.
Answer questions based on messages and files.
Help you catch up after being away or go through long discussions.
How to set it up:
The chatbot is available to Enterprise and Business+ plan users. Admins can enable it in Settings > Slack AI. Once turned on, users will see AI options appear directly in threads and channels, with no extra installation needed.
In early 2025, Slack introduced Agentforce—a more advanced tool that lets you build AI agents that do things, not just read. Still in early access, Agentforce is designed for companies that need AI agents adapted to specific contexts, with flexible settings that control how, where, and with what data the agents operate.
Channel-specific settings (e.g., one bot helps with HR queries, another with engineering issues).
Custom prompts or workflows (what the bot "listens" for and responds to).
Connected apps/tools (e.g., a chatbot pulling info from Jira vs. Notion).
Memory scope (e.g., short-term chat history vs. long-term channel knowledge).
How to set it up:
Agentforce is currently available by request through Slack’s early access program. Companies interested in using it can apply via Slack’s official form or through their customer success representative. It requires developer involvement to configure agents through the Agentforce framework.
3. Custom AI assistants
For teams with developers, Slack offers tools to create custom AI assistants. Using Slack’s APIs, you can build assistants that connect to your own tools, understand natural language, and follow your specific workflows. With this option, you can:
Use GPT-like models for smarter conversations.
Connect Slack to internal systems and data.
Build assistants for specific roles (e.g., finance, legal, customer support).
How to set it up:
To build a custom assistant, developers can use the Slack API and Bolt framework or integrate with external AI models using tools like OpenAI’s API. You'll need to register your app in the Slack Developer Portal and configure permissions, event triggers, and bot behaviors manually.
This requires technical skills, but gives you full control over how AI fits into your work.
Lack of AI memory: Slack offers short-term memory within chats and long-term memory within channels. However, it doesn’t fully understand or retain the broader context your team works in.
One-size-fits-all responses: Many chatbots rely on generic automation operations and lack true contextual understanding, leading to basic or repetitive answers that may not fit your team’s needs.
Legacy bot deprecation: In March 31, 2025, Slack stopped support for legacy custom bots, requiring developers to rebuild bots as modern Slack apps using the Events API instead of the older RTM API. This means existing bots built on legacy frameworks stopped working unless migrated.
Natural language understanding constraints: Slack bots typically rely on predefined trigger phrases or limited natural language processing capabilities. They may struggle to understand varied user inputs without extensive customization or integration with external AI services.
Scalability concerns. For large teams or organizations with complex communication needs, Slack AI’s capabilities may not scale well without extensive customization. The more granular and context-specific the requirements (e.g., managing different workflows across departments, handling high volumes of messages, or supporting different languages), the more difficult it becomes to create an AI system that remains efficient and relevant. Scaling AI features to meet these diverse demands could require significant resources, both in terms of infrastructure and human capital.
Dependency on developer resources. More advanced Slack AI configurations, such as building custom AI assistants or integrating with third-party tools, require developer expertise. Teams without dedicated development resources may struggle to fully utilize Slack’s advanced AI features or require external consultants to handle implementation. This dependency on specialized skills can be a barrier for teams without strong technical capabilities, hindering the potential value Slack AI can bring.
These limitations can make traditional Slack AI chatbots less effective and productive for teams that need deeper collaboration, ongoing context, and smooth communication across multiple tools.
Beyond Slack’s own tools
There are other AI-powered applications that work with Slack. These are standalone platforms designed for specific tasks like productivity, communication, or team management, and they offer Slack integration as one of several features.
Why choose a third-party tool:
It’s usually built for more complex or specialized use cases.
It offers more advanced AI capabilities.
It usually offers integration with popular communication and collaboration tools like Slack.
This category includes a wide range of tools—and it’s where powerful solutions like Tanka come in. Tanka AI addresses these gaps by providing long-term memory, smart replies, and unified AI knowledge management across platforms.
How Tanka AI makes your communication smarter
Tanka AI is the world’s first messenger powered by AI long-term memory, revolutionizing team collaboration and communication. It’s a communication hub where you can integrate all the tools you already use - including Slack.
Key features of Tanka AI:
AI-powered memory retention: Tanka remembers past discussions, and decisions. This long-term AI memory means users don’t have to repeat instructions or re-share context, allowing everyone to stay aligned and informed without extra effort.
Context-aware smart replies: Tanka suggests intelligent responses based on previous messages. These smart replies help speed up communication by offering helpful suggestions that fit the ongoing conversation, reducing the time spent typing and clarifying.
Cross-platform knowledge sharing: Tanka works with G Suite, WhatsApp, Notion, Slack, calendars and other popular tools. Tanka knows and remembers chats, channels, documents, and other content your team has used across any of the integrated platforms.
Data and knowledge management with AI: Tanka provides powerful tools for collaborative knowledge management. The Team Wiki serves as a shared knowledge hub, where teams can organize content by project, department, or function. This structure supports Tanka’s AI assistant in delivering responses based on established guidelines and internal resources.
With Co-Memory, teams can upload documentation, reports, and other materials into a shared space within group chats. Tanka also keeps chats, files, and notes neatly organized in a searchable knowledge base. Even if team members leave or roles change, important information remains accessible - minimizing disruption and preserving continuity.
AI-powered search: Tanka’s AI assistant enables users to search across internal chats, documents, and team knowledge. Results are clearly sourced, making it easy to locate relevant information within your organization.
Built for global teams: For international teams, Tanka offers real-time translation and multilingual context retention, making cross-border collaboration smooth.
Enterprise-grade security: The platform uses AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit, applies strict access controls, and isolates each organization’s data. Built with best practices like least privilege and defense in depth, Tanka is SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliant. It doesn’t use your data to train external models, and its real-time monitoring and regular audits ensure sensitive information stays protected.
Tanka AI is especially useful for enterprises and teams that need a tool capable of understanding context and improving collaboration across multiple channels. It transforms everyday chats into a powerful resource, making team communication smarter and more connected.
Global/remote teams Collaboration across time zones and languages
Tanka supports real-time translation and multilingual context retention, enabling smooth communication in international teams.
Team members can access shared knowledge, files, and discussions regardless of their location or time zone.
Context is preserved even when conversations happen across different tools or languages.
When roles change or teammates leave, institutional knowledge remains accessible in the Team Wiki and searchable memory.
Users can set task automations like “Summarize my unread messages and send them to me every day at 9 AM” in the Prompts feature to quickly catch up on messages across different time zones.
Conclusion: why choose Tanka AI
Tanka AI changes your communication and collaboration by retaining context across all tools you use, including Slack. It remembers key conversations, decisions, and shared files. As a result, your team never loses important knowledge, even when team members leave or new ones join. This AI-powered memory reduces repetitive questions, cuts down on manual follow-ups, and keeps everyone aligned with up-to-date information.
Access smarter, context-aware communication with Tanka – sign up for free!
