Why Staying in the Flow of Work Matters

Boaz asks about context switching, and Shalini emphasizes bringing AI into Slack to reduce context loss and save time.

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Shift AI is brought to you by Clause, a legal AI platform, and is syndicated by GeekWire.

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Shalini Agarwal, VP of Product at Salesforce overseeing Slack's AI and search capabilities, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy to explore how AI is transforming workplace collaboration from the inside out. With 17 years of experience at Google and now leading AI innovation at one of the world's most widely used workplace platforms, Shalini offers unique insights into how billions of weekly messages are being augmented with intelligent agents and contextual AI.

From her journey as a seasoned product manager to spearheading Slack's evolution into an agentic work operating system, Shalini reveals how teams are already using AI search, channel experts, and multiplayer agents to unlock institutional knowledge and streamline productivity. The conversation dives into the future of human-agent collaboration, the importance of contextual AI that works in the flow of work, and how Slack is positioning itself as the perfect platform for the next generation of workplace intelligence.

If you're curious about how AI agents will reshape team productivity and what the future holds for contextual, collaborative AI experiences, this episode provides invaluable insights from someone building the future of work today.

Chapters:

[02:00] Shalini's Background and Product Management Evolution

[04:43] Slack's AI Vision and Work Operating System

[09:17] Real-World AI Integration Examples at Slack

[12:26] The Power of Contextual AI in Workflow

[13:56] Customer Adaptation and AI Journey Patterns

[16:02] Agents vs Assistants: Understanding the Difference

[18:14] Surprising Customer Use Cases and Open Text Box Innovation

[21:22] Multiplayer AI Experiences and Team Collaboration

[25:20] Security, Privacy, and Enterprise Data Protection

[25:49] Multiplayer Native Agents Preview

[27:44] The Future of Work: Agentic and Contextual