Slack and ChatGPT

Salesforce Inc announced its collaboration with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to integrate the chatbot technology into its Slack collaboration software and broaden the use of generative artificial intelligence across its business software.

The San Francisco-based company unveiled EinsteinGPT, a technology merging its own AI capabilities with those of external partners like OpenAI. This collaboration aims to assist businesses in tasks such as drafting emails, managing customer accounts, and even generating computer code. Additionally, ChatGPT will integrate with Slack to help users summarize conversations and handle various queries.

This strategic move reflects the competitive landscape among tech giants racing to enhance their platforms with generative AI, which can generate text, images, and other content based on historical data inputs.

Microsoft Corp, for example, leveraging its investment in OpenAI, has integrated generative AI into its Teams product, enabling functionalities like generating meeting notes and suggesting email responses through its Viva Sales subscription. This places Teams in direct competition with Slack.

Clara Shih, a general manager at Salesforce, highlighted during a press briefing that this announcement addresses the growing demand from businesses for advanced AI capabilities. She emphasized that Salesforce’s proprietary data and AI models would differentiate their offerings in the market.

Salesforce’s initiative in generative AI is poised to transform customer engagement strategies for businesses, according to Shih, enabling them to innovate profoundly in their interactions with customers.

In addition to this integration, Salesforce also unveiled a new fund aimed at investing in startups specializing in generative AI technologies.