IBM’s marketing, design and engineering teams are using Slack to collaborate and create new cognitive solutions, benefiting all users of the platform, as learnings will be passed on to developers.
This is just one part of IBM’s partnership with Slack, announced at October’s World of Watson in Las Vegas.
.@stewart of @SlackHQ in photos at #ibmwow: In 5 years, message bots will "make sense of chaos" at work ► https://t.co/rI1C8m4QR4 pic.twitter.com/LG0ADfoKZR
— Tech Ed Canada (@TechEdCA) November 1, 2016
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“Slack and IBM share the same vision for how AI can transform workplace efficiency,” said David Kenny, IBM Watson’s general manager in a press release. “The degree of leverage we can gain from enhanced cognitive capabilities becomes massive.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSWxZJYxjUs
According to Kenny, combining Slack and Watson will make it easier for developers to build cognitive-enabled bots for Slack, propelling productivity.
This guy has a point. https://t.co/sZ2dR4Wiv2
— Stewart Butterfield (@stewart) October 26, 2016
#AI isn't in #Slack to eliminate human interaction—it's to "get rid of the stupid questions" we always have to answer – @stewart #ibmwow pic.twitter.com/tLLmUUgfjF
— TechPORTFOLIO (@TechPORTFOLIO) October 26, 2016
In the same press release, Stewart Butterfield, CEO and co-founder of Slack, said: “This partnership with IBM and the work we are doing with Watson will accelerate our customers’ organizational intelligence and propel workplace productivity in dramatic new ways.”
Butterfield added that he wanted Slack to become better and smarter the more it was used, and “supercharge” people’s ability to find answers.
In pursuit of this goal, Slack will adopt Watson Conversation to improve the accuracy and efficiency of Slackbot, the customer service bot. Watson machine learning will also enable Slackbot to continuously improve its accuracy.
To learn more about IBM Watson’s capabilities, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What partnership did IBM and Slack announce in 2016?
IBM and Slack announced a partnership at IBM's World of Watson event in Las Vegas in October 2016. As part of it, IBM's marketing, design and engineering teams use Slack to collaborate on cognitive solutions, with lessons passed on to developers.
What was the goal of combining Slack and Watson?
David Kenny, general manager of IBM Watson, said the two companies shared a vision of AI transforming workplace efficiency. Combining Slack and Watson was meant to make it easier for developers to build cognitive-enabled bots for Slack.
How will Watson improve Slackbot?
Slack planned to adopt Watson Conversation to improve the accuracy and efficiency of Slackbot, its customer service bot. Watson machine learning was also expected to let Slackbot keep improving its accuracy over time.
What did Slack's CEO say about the partnership?
Stewart Butterfield, Slack's CEO and co-founder, said the work with Watson would accelerate customers' organizational intelligence and boost workplace productivity. Butterfield wanted Slack to get smarter the more it was used and to supercharge people's ability to find answers.
Who benefits from IBM's teams working in Slack?
According to the article, IBM's internal use of Slack to create cognitive solutions benefits all users of the platform, because what IBM learns will be passed on to developers.