OpenAI expands Slack integration with ChatGPT connector and in-app workspace features

New functionality allows users to chat with ChatGPT inside Slack and query messages, channels, and threads.

OpenAI has introduced new ways for users to integrate ChatGPT into Slack, offering direct access to the AI assistant within the platform and a new connector that enables workspace-wide search and summaries. The update was announced in a LinkedIn post from OpenAI for Business.

OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research and deployment company known for developing ChatGPT, said the new tools are available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education subscribers. The ChatGPT app for Slack requires a paid Slack account.

The first new feature allows Slack users to open a dedicated ChatGPT sidebar within their workspace. Once approved by a Slack admin, users can chat one-on-one with ChatGPT to ask questions, brainstorm ideas, or draft content. Conversations remain synchronized across Slack, web, and mobile, allowing users to continue seamlessly between devices.

Connector enables secure access to workspace data

The second feature — the ChatGPT connector for Slack — allows users to query messages, threads, and channels they have permission to access. ChatGPT can summarize discussions, extract insights from project or customer channels, and prepare concise meeting briefs.

The connector supports both keyword and semantic search, with semantic capabilities available to Slack Business+ and Enterprise+ plans. Enterprise and Education administrators can manage permissions through OpenAI’s role-based access controls, while individual users can connect their accounts via a simple OAuth sign-in flow.

Availability and privacy considerations

The connector is currently unavailable to Plus and Pro users in the European Economic Area, Great Britain, and Switzerland, though Business and Enterprise customers in those regions are unaffected.

OpenAI said the integration is designed to operate securely within Slack’s policies but reminded users that Slack is a third-party service. Data shared through the connector is handled under Slack’s own privacy, retention, and data residency rules.

OpenAI for Business wrote in the post: “Once approved by a Slack admin, you can chat one-on-one with ChatGPT in a dedicated Slack sidebar. It’s a space for you to ask questions, brainstorm ideas, draft posts, and solve hard problems faster.”