SoftTech AI Registry
Slack · Slack

AI Search Answers

Slack search answers let a user ask a question in their own words in the Slack search bar and receive a concise AI-generated answer, shown above the search results with citations to the source messages or files that informed it.

Recorded characteristics

Function
Slack documents that a user can click the search bar, type a question in their own words and press Enter, and that AI answers appear at the top of the search results, described as a concise answer based on relevant information in Slack rather than a list of search results. Answers include citations referring to the source messages or files that informed them; hovering over a citation previews the source and clicking it opens the message or file. A helpful answer can be shared by clicking Share, reviewing the answer and clicking Share anyway to send it to a channel or DM. Automatic search filtering is documented as a separate listed feature.
Data access
Slack documents that AI-generated responses only include information available to the requesting user, giving messages and other content from public channels and any private channels and direct messages they belong to as examples, and that search-answer citations refer to source messages or files. Slack documents a separate admin setting controlling whether files can be used to generate search responses. Content from connected sources such as Salesforce is documented as included in Slackbot responses and enterprise search results; enterprise search is a separately enabled Enterprise+ feature requiring an org owner or admin to enable it and connect data sources, and individual members to connect their own accounts. Ordinary search answers are not documented as universally drawing on external enterprise sources.
Actions
Generative only
External actions
Unknown
Human confirmation
Not established
Permission basis
User permissions
Administrative control
Slack documents that workspace and org owners and admins can manage access to AI features under Roles & permissions, Feature access, AI, choosing whether Everyone or No one can use a given AI feature. For Search, two additional settings are documented: whether people can share responses, and whether files can be used to generate responses (Slack notes the file setting also applies to Slackbot responses). On Enterprise plans, org owners and admins can also limit AI feature access to certain users and groups. A Workspace Primary Owner setting controls whether newly released AI features are automatically turned on.
Default state
Not established
Availability
Slack's current plan tables list Search answers as available on Business+ and Enterprise+ but not Pro. Slack notes that on the legacy version of Business+, or on Enterprise Grid without the Slack AI add-on, only the Pro-tier features are available. Enterprise search is listed as Enterprise+ only. Availability also depends on member or guest role and on admin restrictions.
Licensing
Slack documents availability by plan (Business+ and Enterprise+ under the current plan structure, or legacy plans with the Slack AI add-on). No further pricing is established by this documentation.
External model or provider
Not established
Limitations and uncertainty
Slack states that its native AI features apply in-house ranking models to find and sort relevant information and that third-party large language models hosted within Slack-controlled cloud infrastructure generate responses using Retrieval Augmented Generation, with customer data never used to train third-party LLMs. Slack does not identify which third-party model or provider is used for search answers, so no provider is recorded. Answers are documented as ephemeral and not stored on devices or servers. Slack states AI features only use data members have access to at the time of request and will not display or use data from private channels or DMs they are not part of, and that AI searches will never surface results regular Slack search would not. Slack does not document a default enablement state for search answers, nor an execution-confirmation model, nor whether the capability can act in systems outside Slack. Admin settings may restrict whether files inform answers and whether answers can be shared. Slack notes AI outputs are quality-monitored and that citations should be reviewed. Enterprise search, which adds external application sources, is a separate Enterprise+ feature and is not part of this record.

Evidence