TL;DR
- Slack adds AI-powered cross-channel and app-integrated search.
- Call transcription and summarization now available for Slack Huddles.
- Users can view channel/thread summaries and auto-generated action items.
- AI-based user profile summaries and message explanations in development.
- Slack Canvas to integrate an AI writing assistant for content formatting.
Slack Integrates AI to Enhance Productivity Features
Slack has unveiled a broad suite of AI-powered enhancements, marking a significant upgrade to its productivity toolkit. These updates include improved search capabilities, real-time transcription and summarization for Huddles, and auto-generated recaps for channels and threads.
These features are being rolled out as Slack continues to position itself as a central hub for hybrid and remote teams, integrating smarter tools to drive workflow efficiency.
AI-Driven Search Across Channels and Apps
Slack’s new AI-enhanced search lets users locate relevant files and discussions not just across Slack channels, but also within connected third-party apps like Google Drive, Salesforce, and Microsoft Teams. This cross-platform integration will be available exclusively to Business and Enterprise plan users.
Slack emphasized that this AI model refines results based on context and relevance, a critical improvement for large organizations with high-volume communication.
Huddles Now Offer Transcriptions and Smart Summaries
Slack Huddles — its lightweight audio and video communication tool — is getting an AI upgrade with automatic transcriptions and meeting summaries. Users will receive concise overviews and key action items after a huddle ends.
This feature significantly enhances asynchronous collaboration, especially in global teams operating across multiple time zones.
Smarter Channel Summaries and Activity Tracking
For users returning to Slack after an absence, the platform will now offer summaries of missed conversations within threads and channels. This summary tool helps reduce information overload and improves onboarding into fast-paced conversations.
Slack is also planning to release a new Activities tab feature that will flag action items specifically when you’re mentioned in a message, boosting task visibility.
AI in User Profiles and Message Explanations
Another key feature in the pipeline is AI-generated profile summaries, which will display a user’s role, recent contributions, and collaborative history. Slack says this will help teams better understand each other’s current responsibilities and focus areas.
Additionally, Slack will soon allow users to ask AI to explain a message in context. This tool is expected to be particularly useful for parsing long or technical discussions, or when joining a thread mid-way.
Slack Canvas to Get AI Writing Assistant
Slack’s Canvas — a collaborative interface used for sharing guides, knowledge, and documents — is also set to receive AI-powered support. An upcoming feature will allow users to auto-generate canvas content from conversations, and to reformat existing canvas content with natural language instructions.
This AI assistant aligns with broader efforts in productivity apps to integrate smart editing and content generation directly into workplace tools.
Visual and UX Improvements Incoming
Slack also confirmed a major UI redesign. A centralized interface for shared files, lists, and Canvas elements is being introduced, offering a more unified experience for users navigating between documents, chats, and tasks.
The redesign aims to reduce friction across functionalities and help users find and manage shared resources more intuitively.
Slack’s New AI Capabilities
| Feature | Description | Source |
| AI Search | Cross-channel and app-integrated search using AI | Slack |
| Huddle Transcription | Real-time transcription and key takeaways | TechCrunch |
| Thread Recaps | Auto-generated summaries for channels and threads | Slack Newsroom |
| Canvas AI Assistant | Smart writing help for Canvas content | Slack Canvas |
