AI summarization. A robot reads from a book, summarizing it for a new audience.

AI Summarization: A Guide to Conquering Information Overload

Learn how AI can transform content into concise summaries so you and your teams can stay focused on the work that matters.

By the team at Slack13th December 2024

Think about how much information you deal with in a typical workday. Most teams today struggle with information overload, whether they’re in an office or another work setting. It’s easy to miss critical details buried in long message threads, documents, or meetings.

That’s where AI summarization tools can make a real difference. Often called recap generators or text summarization tools, they’re designed to take complex or large amounts of information and break it down into concise summaries that highlight the most important points. This not only saves time but also helps teams process information more efficiently and make smarter decisions faster.

Learn how AI summarization tools work, when to use them, and the features that provide the most benefits.

What is AI summarization?

AI summarization tools use artificial intelligence technologies to condense large amounts of data — including text, audio, and video — into smaller, more digestible formats that retain key points. In short, they deliver a TL;DR summary of large pieces of content.

There are two main types of AI summarization: extractive and abstractive.

  • Extractive summarization uses AI to, you guessed it, extract key sentences or phrases from the source material to create a summary. It’s like when a friend gives you the highlights of a movie so you can grasp the overall message in a few key beats.
  • Abstractive summarization uses AI to generate new sentences from the source material to create a recap. In this case, your friend uses their own words to summarize the gist of the movie for you.

 

How does AI summarization work?

AI and machine learning (ML) technologies are the driving force behind summarization tools. They can analyze data and create summaries that keep the original context intact. Here’s a quick look at how an AI summarization tool typically works:

  • Process: The AI absorbs content by scanning text, watching videos, or listening to audio to understand its meaning.
  • Identify: It pinpoints relevant phrases, action items, and key moments by looking at headings, keywords, or visuals.
  • Create: It then generates a condensed version of the content, highlighting the key information it identified while preserving the meaning of the original material.

What are the benefits of AI summarization?

AI summarization tools can help you find answers, save time, and stay in the moment. Integrating AI summarization tools into your workflow can help you process and act on information quickly, especially when it counts — like between meetings or after catching up on missed messages. These tools let teams focus during video meetings without worrying about taking notes and make it easier to untangle long, complex message threads by cutting out redundancies.

By offloading these time-consuming tasks, teams free up mental energy for more important work, boosting productivity. Features like bulleted lists make summaries easier to scan, which many people find more convenient. Plus, AI summarization apps can answer user questions or pull key details from shared files, helping teams find the information they need quickly.

For companies, these AI summarization and workflow automation tools aren’t just a productivity hack — they can enhance operational efficiency, streamline collaboration, and ultimately drive growth.

Key use cases for AI summarization

If your goal is to work smarter and faster, AI summarization tools can help. To see results, it’s important for everyone in your organization to be on board. Whether you use a work operating system like Slack with built-in AI features or integrated solutions, everyone on your team should use AI and automation in their daily workflows for increased efficiency.

Here are a few instances where AI summarization can help teams save time:

  • Meetings: Stay engaged with your team during calls while your AI summarization tool takes notes. It can capture who said what, recap key points, and add action items to your task list.
  • Onboarding: Get new hires up to speed on project, department, or organization details by condensing relevant information into a digestible format they can use immediately.
  • Daily recaps: See what you missed while you were away from your desk. AI can summarize important messages from your Slack channels or email.
  • Surface information: Quickly gain context about an issue without manually sifting through dozens of conversations and files. AI can surface information and help you find the answers you need.

 

The future of AI summarization

The adoption rates for generative AI tools are increasing rapidly, with more businesses recognizing their benefits.

Salesforce’s State of Sales report found that 81% of sales teams are investing in AI, with 41% having fully implemented solutions at their organization. Project on Workforce researchers “estimate[s] that between 0.5% and 3.5% of all work hours in the U.S. are currently supported by generative AI.” And a survey of global desk workers by Workforce Lab at Slack revealed that AI use has increased by 60% since September 2023. While consumer tools garnered attention in the early days of generative AI, EMARKETER reported workplace adoption “will drive nearly half of its use by 2026.”

But even as demand for gen AI increases, there are still challenges with the technology. For example, general AI summarization tools don’t always grasp the full context of lengthy conversations or industry-specific terms. And tools that source the internet for information, in addition to just your data, can sometimes lead to hallucinations, or false truths. Leaders need systems with clear data policies and integration across apps.

Here are a few things on the horizon for gen AI:

  • Multimodal technologies (audio, image, text, and video) can offer flexibility while improving output quality. Imagine using AI to summarize action items from a meeting based on visuals and spoken words. Gartner predicted that “40% of generative AI solutions will be multimodal by 2027, up from 1% in 2023.”
  • Company control over data can enhance security. Organizations can use AI in Slack to control what information large language models (LLM) can access based on a user’s permission level. Teams get relevant results based on their roles, while businesses maintain data privacy standards.
  • Domain-specific gen AI can improve accuracy and reliability. According to Gartner, models trained for specific business functions, sectors, or tasks, using controlled data sets, have the most potential to reach the mainstream within 10 years.
  • Integrated gen AI tools will enable workflows across connected apps, like GitHub and Jira. Incorporating data from shared tools can enrich summaries and enhance productivity.

 

Key features to look for in an AI summarization tool

An AI-powered text summarizing tool should simplify and make work easier for your teams. Look for a conversational platform that brings core tasks and people together to improve comprehension, coordination, and productivity.

Top AI summarization features include:

  • Flexible capabilities: Teams communicate through video, text, and audio, so it’s important to choose an AI summarization tool that can process multiple formats. In our guide to AI in Slack, we show how built-in features help people find information faster across threads, channels, and direct messages.
  • Real-time note taking: Immediate access to concise summaries and key points can improve results, whether you’re joining a meeting late or making on-the-spot decisions. Use Slack AI to take notes during a huddle, capture key takeaways, and list action items to keep meetings on track and ensure everyone is on the same page.
  • Source material citations: Verifying accuracy is a top priority when using AI tools, so choose a solution that provides sources for information. For example, when you ask Slack AI a question, the answer comes with citations that refer to the source messages or files that informed them. You can hover over the citation to preview the source or click to view it.
  • Simple interface: Make sure your tool is user friendly and easy to learn so that anyone on your team can start using it right away. For example, Slack lets users initiate huddle notes and view channel summaries by clicking on an icon within the platform.
  • App integrations: Improve adoption rates by choosing a solution that connects to the apps you use daily. With Slack as your central work operating system, you can apply AI summarization to third-party apps to enhance your workflow.
  • Collaboration tools: Encourage teamwork by ensuring your summarization app allows for sharing and collaboration. When you use AI notes, Slack organizes the information into a canvas and shares it with the huddle thread.

 

Work smarter and faster with AI summarization tools

Not only do AI summarization tools make it easier for teams to communicate and collaborate, but they can also surface and summarize information quickly to enhance daily workflows. AI in Slack lets you catch up on missed work chats, take meeting notes, create action items, summarize entire channel conversations, and find answers in one place. With instant access to key information and insights, teams can become more informed, efficient, and productive no matter where they work.

 

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