Salesforce and Anthropic have launched Claude Tag, a new method of connecting the two technologies by utilizing Claude in Slack.
Once installed into your Slack workspace, users can now type @Claude in any channel to instantly loop in Claude to collaborate on workflows, requests, and ideation in real time. This is what Salesforce is calling an “ambient” colleague in action.
What Is Claude Tag?
The two companies are emphasising that Claude Tag is a new way for teams to work with Claude, essentially treating the AI as a team member, similar to Slackbot. You can grant it access to selected channels and allow it to operate across tools, data, and codebases, summoning it in Slack by typing out @Claude. The agent then does the work in public view and tags you back when it’s done.
Anthropic is calling this the “evolution of Claude Code”, making the model more proactive and more efficient across teams. This “multiplayer AI” allows the channel to see the work, build on it, and redirect it in real time, with no more siloed windows open on the side.
Much like the Claude many users are familiar with, Claude Tag also learns over time, building context as it works. This means that users don’t need to explain things to it from scratch, and it can also learn from other Slack channels and data sources, if it’s granted permission.
It also has the ability to work asynchronously, by setting it as a task and leaving it to work in the background. It can also schedule tasks for itself, pursuing a project autonomously for hours or days.
“Slack is the only layer in the AI stack where teams work together,” said Rob Seaman, EVP and GM of Slack. “Bringing Claude Tag into Slack is about making AI multiplayer. Instead of a private back-and-forth, Claude Tag shows up in the open – in your channels, alongside your team – where it can see the real context of how your organization works and make the whole company smarter in the process.”
It has been confirmed that Claude Tag replaces the existing Claude in the Slack app. To migrate, administrators can opt in within 30 days. Anthropic is issuing an introductory launch credit to eligible Enterprise and Team organizations so that the whole company can try it out.
That ‘Ambient AI’ Wording
Claude Tag interestingly references and works with an AI type that has been mentioned by Rohan Kumar, Salesforce’s new President and Chief Platform Officer: ambient AI.
Ambient AI (sometimes called ambient intelligence) refers to artificial intelligence that is seamlessly integrated into your environment to operate quietly in the background. This means that instead of requiring you to type prompts, click apps, or drive actions manually, these systems autonomously sense, interpret, and automate tasks in real-time.
It is what Kumar referenced in his open letter on LinkedIn when his role was announced, stating that he was “especially excited by the idea that the future of enterprise software will become more ‘headless’ and more ambient.”
Anthropic specifically details that Claude Tag is able to “take initiative”, stating that “if ‘ambient’ behaviour is enabled, Claude will proactively keep you updated about whatever it thinks you might need to know.” The system identifies important data from various connected tools and channels. It also takes initiative by checking in on unresolved tasks or inactive threads to ensure they are addressed.
In a slick demo on the Anthropic blog, we’re invited to watch Claude Tag build a new feature with input from several members of a development team. SF Ben found the use case enticing – imagine building a new feature just from a conversation in Slack. The multi-player agent mode is inspiring. But you have to think that team culture and practices for how to do this effectively in real life would be a key to successfully working this way.
For Salesforce AI users, and likely AI users in general, this is evidently what Salesforce is betting on in terms of what it thinks they want next. AI has already become exponentially more powerful since ChatGPT’s release in 2022, but it still relies heavily on building, prompting, and coding. With ambient AI, we could see the full unlocking of teammate capabilities, with AI not just working proactively alongside us but fully in the background as we work too.
Final Thoughts
With the release of Claude Tag, Salesforce and Anthropic are both banking on ambient AI. But where does this leave Agentforce?
Customers can now choose between using Slackbot, Agentforce Coworker, Claude Tag, and more within their workspaces, but is this too much choice? It is likely that the answer to that question will become more apparent as time goes on.
