How to Use Slack AI

Getting started with Slack AI

In this guide, you’ll learn how to set up Slack AI and use its features to summarise channels, catch up on threads, and enhance your search across your workspace. By the end, you’ll be able to quickly get up to speed with your team's communications.

Step 1: Sign up and set up

1. Go to slack.com and click on the "Get Started" button.
2. If you’re new to Slack, create an account by entering your email and following the prompts to verify it.
3. Once your workspace is set up, navigate to "Settings" by clicking on your workspace name in the top left corner.
4. In the settings menu, select "Billing" to subscribe to the Pro plan at $8.75/user/month. Then, add the AI add-on for an additional $10/user/month.

Step 2: Your first summary

1. Open a channel or a direct message thread where you want to catch up.
2. Click on the "AI" icon (it looks like a small robot) located in the message input box.
3. Select "Summarise this channel" from the dropdown menu.
4. Slack AI will generate a summary of key discussions, decisions, and action items. Review this summary to get quickly up to speed.

Step 3: Get better results

• To search for specific messages across your workspace, click on the search bar at the top. Type in keywords related to the topic you’re interested in.
• Use filters on the left-hand side to narrow down results by channel, user, or date.
• For more detailed summaries, you can specify prompts such as “Summarise the last week’s important updates in this channel” when you click on the AI icon.

Pro tip

Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + K (or Cmd + Shift + K on Mac) to quickly bring up the AI options without needing to navigate through menus. This speeds up your workflow significantly.

Common mistake to avoid

Avoid assuming that the AI summary covers everything. Sometimes, it may miss nuances or specific details. Always double-check the original messages if you need comprehensive context on important discussions.