# Disabling AI in Slack: A Step-by-Step Survival Guide

## How to Turn Off Slack AI (Before It Turns on You)

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/124/medium800/maker_business_slackforce01.png?1751467360)

SalesForce Slack’s AI isn’t just reading your messages - it’s turning your private moments into product features, your emotions into enterprise value, it won't be opt-in, it's on by default, if you ask your SaleForce rep how to turn it off, he might just say **_"AI is all around us"_...** and you're stuck wondering what data is owned by SalesForce or not, here is how to turn off the AI features in SalesForce Slack, or at least "try" ... !

Stewart Butterfield founded Slack on principles of openness and user empowerment. In a 2014 Wired interview, he said, _“The idea that we should be open and interoperate with our data resonated with me.”_ That vision remains critical today. Slack message data belongs to the users who create it - not to hidden AI systems.

Marc Benioff has echoed this ethos: _“Our customers’ data belongs to them, it’s their data.”_ He has also publicly warned, _“These LLMs are hungry for our data”_ - recognizing the risks of AI systems accessing information without consent.

Yet today, Slack’s direction risks betraying both leaders’ intent. AI features are increasingly enabled by default, with minimal transparency or controls over what internal data - including private messages - is analyzed, summarized, or used for training.

We believe this must change.

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/140/medium800/maker_business_adafruit_AI_is_all_around_us.png?1751485194)

Wed. Jul 2 10:58am ET... started this page to transfer notes to -pt... [PDF of the art for now and QR code.](https://cdn-blog.adafruit.com/uploads/2025/07/adafruit_AI_is_all_around_us.pdf) It has six fingers and cracks me up ... get it?

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/133/medium800/maker_business_slackdeclareswar.jpg?1751471977)

And we're not the only one extremely concerned, it's valuable data that SalesForce will "own"  ... and "on" by default starting July 17th, 2025.

[In Slack Declares War - Inside the brutal battle unfolding on your desktop.](https://www.gettheleverage.com/p/slack-declares-war) Evan Armstrong’s latest pulls back the curtain on one of the biggest data power grabs in modern workplace software since Lotus Notes. 

In Slack Declares War, read how Salesforce, through Slack, has moved to block AI agents and third-party tools from accessing Slack message data - even when users explicitly grant permission. It's a strategic lockdown of ambient, emotional, and operational data across workplaces. And the motive is clear: total control.

> "Slack… recently blocked other software firms from searching or storing Slack messages even if their customers permit them to do so."

This isn’t just a technical tweak - it’s the declaration of intent, and that's what I usually look for in the open-source world, and here, it's super-clear. If Slack becomes the sole arbiter of access to your team’s thoughts, frustrations, and breakthroughs, then it becomes the most valuable (and dangerous) log. We all seem like we are a turning point for AI, privacy, and the very structure of B2B software ... we did not even get to what digital rights you may lose overall. The issue we have with SalesForce Slack message data is that's our Slack message data ... but I think there a good solution, just not one that is going to come from SalesForce and not by July 17, when everyone is opt-ed in by default - 🔗 [Read the full piece here.](https://www.gettheleverage.com/p/slack-declares-war)

Info: We'll do women and children sizes first as usual, since those are never in stock first, and then all the rest a day or so later, or have the files/links/permission to make your own shirts with vendors that are the least worst - pt

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/142/medium800/maker_business_retain.png?1751497116)

If SalesForce Slack has your chat logs, they'll need to give them up...

> Last week, OpenAI raised objections in court, hoping to overturn a court order requiring the AI company to retain all ChatGPT logs "indefinitely," including deleted and temporary chats.
> 
> But Sidney Stein, the US district judge reviewing OpenAI's request, immediately denied OpenAI's objections. He was seemingly unmoved by the company's claims that the order forced OpenAI to abandon "long-standing privacy norms" and weaken privacy protections that users expect based on ChatGPT's terms of service. Rather, Stein suggested that OpenAI's user agreement specified that their data could be retained as part of a legal process, which Stein said is exactly what is happening now.

And of course _"well, you don't need to use ChatGPT, or SalesForce, or Slack!"_ ... [NYT to start searching deleted ChatGPT logs after beating OpenAI in court.](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/07/nyt-to-start-searching-deleted-chatgpt-logs-after-beating-openai-in-court/)

Putting these up for now (these Admin Panel for SalesForce Slack is a start of being able to manage things, its already bonkers, probably will not work out...) someone will do something better, it's a start - pt

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/131/medium800/maker_business_ChatGPT_Image_Jul_1__2025__05_59_55_PM.png?1751470068)

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/132/medium800/maker_business_ChatGPT_Image_Jul_1__2025__05_59_59_PM.png?1751470079)

# Disabling AI in Slack: A Step-by-Step Survival Guide

## Settings & Permissions

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/137/medium800/maker_business_manage_ai.png?1751480822)

https:// WORKSPACE-NAME .[slack.com/admin/permissions/feature-access/slack\_ai](https://slack.com/admin/permissions/feature-access/slack_ai)

 

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/138/medium800/maker_business_blocked.png?1751481088)

You're probably about to say, _"But Phil, Salesforce lets you control who gets AI access! They even encourage you to fine-tune your settings before the 17th!"_

That’s AI features.

But what about data access? Who exactly can see, store, or process what's behind the curtain?

Yes, there are toggles for features - but none of them clarify who or what actually accesses your messages, where that data is stored, how long it’s kept, or which model is watching. It’s a sprawling, labyrinthine panel of sliders and landmines - and I’m sure there are at least five ways to misread it and accidentally compromise your org’s privacy by the 17th.

And if Salesforce blocks third parties from doing anything even with the owner’s permission - then who, exactly, owns the data?

If you use Salesforce Slack, check your settings - they might look different from ours at Adafruit. That’s because we only discovered a hidden opt-out option after emailing a secret Salesforce address to disable something not labeled "AI" - but “machine learning.” That setting doesn’t appear alongside the others, so now we’re wondering: how many more buried toggles are there? How many more secret requests do you have to know to make?

We asked our rep. Another one jumped in, promised a call, then ghosted us - but not before dropping this gem:

> "AI is all around us, but let me just message my Slack Agent to lay off you" - Human(?) Account Executive | Slack, a Salesforce company

Not going to put the Account Executive's name because it may not even be him (I asked as we emailed if it was an LLM for some of the responses to our questions). 

This same week, a company we use for website testing was acquired - and suddenly, their former account executive’s email address started messaging using... Salesforce. The messages blended casual personal banter with discount offers, written as if they were still the original person. It’s not just confusing - it’s unsettling. Especially when the CEO of Salesforce has publicly stated that this level of automated, AI-personalized outreach is exactly the goal. Good work everyone, we did it!

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/139/medium800/maker_business_half.png?1751482103)

Salesforce CEO Claims Half of the Company's Work Is Now Done by AI - [Gizmodo.](https://gizmodo.com/salesforce-ceo-claims-half-of-the-companys-work-is-now-done-by-ai-2000620730)

In January 2023 B **enioff announced the mass dismissal of approximately 7,000 Salesforce employees via a two-hour all-hands meeting over a call** , a course of action he later admitted had been a 'bad idea'.As of 2024, Salesforce is one of the biggest employers in San Francisco and the anchor tenant of Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in San Francisco - [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Benioff).

wed jul 2 3:04pm et - ok, and here’s where i need to stop for a bit to work on our shows for tonight (show and tell, and ask an engineer)...

if you got this far, there’s more later, but here’s the part where - after maybe a dozen emails of getting nowhere - i tried something different. i gave a specific and personal example that always hurts to type. limor is ok with us talking about it. maybe something good can come from sharing it. hey, open-source time.

adafruit has about 100 people. we don’t monitor email. we don’t track what employees do on slack, we try to not have any logs, it's how we want to do things. over the last 10+ years, people have met here, families have started. limor and i talk a lot, and i’m sure others do too - about miscarriages, about pain, about joy, about everything. for those who know limor and i, you don't know we've been trying to start a family for the last 5 years, a lot of failures, a miracle, and maybe more ...

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/148/medium800/maker_business_feb20-12weeks_as_of_6.jpeg?1751530116)

we just want anyone using these “tools” to have control over what’s listening - because that’s what this is. it’s eavesdropping. **Do you own your data or does Salesforce Slack, go ahead and try to ask your Account Executive too.**

a lot is going to happen with “ai” and tools like slack which is a funnel for salesforce. this is probably the moment to decide what ai-to-human and human-to-ai privacy actually means. who owns that data? for us, it means setting something - anything - for-sure, so it’s not listening and turning heartbreak into a sales pitch, a learn more link, barfed up text in the all company channel, just let us opt out.

besides! if anyone’s going to monetize our pain, it’s going to be us first.

more later.

# Disabling AI in Slack: A Step-by-Step Survival Guide

## Even Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Supports Message Data Ownership

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/149/medium800/maker_business_wikipedia.jpeg?1751563507)

Marc Benioff’s own words _say_ that user trust and control remain paramount. 

["Our customers’ data belongs to them, it’s their data"](https://gzconsulting.org/2018/06/04/salesforce-there-is-a-crisis-of-trust-concerning-data-privacy-and-cybersecurity)  and pointedly asked, ["Where is this data going when I am using my LLM... These LLMs are hungry for our data" ](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-terms-ai-amazing-stresses-on-aspects-of-trust-values/articleshow/103626601.cms) - underscoring that we can’t let Slack messages become AI fodder without consent. Benioff puts trust above all ("[Remember, trust is our number one value"](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/marc-benioff-book-editing-process/) ...this is on salesforce.com! ), even tweeting that the "most important thing" about Salesforce’s AI is making it 'trusted & ethical & responsible" because _“it’s only all about trust for our customers"._

Read 2018 Marc vs 2025... [https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-calls-for-national-privacy-law/](https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-calls-for-national-privacy-law/)

Slack message data should never feed any AI (analysis, summarization, or training) without user consent; AI features must be opt-in by default; any AI training or third-party access stays off unless explicitly enabled; every AI interaction is transparently logged; and workspace owners need a permanent kill-switch to disable AI entirely. Technically, can this be achieved easily? - for example a permission bitfield on each message object and scoped API tokens that enforce it -  baking a “trust layer” into Slack’s architecture.

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/152/medium800/maker_business_wired.jpeg?1751573100)

Slack was founded on Stewart Butterfield’s belief that ‘we should be open and interoperate with our data’ — a philosophy he said ‘resonated with me’ and rooted in the early internet’s ideals... Full quote: **_"I related to the whole hippie, acid-test confluence of the early Internet. The idea that we should be open and interoperate with our data resonated with me"_** ([Wired, 2014](https://www.wired.com/2014/08/the-most-fascinating-profile-youll-ever-read-about-a-guy-and-his-boring-startup/)).

Can it be more clear? It wasn't meant to be slurped into Salesforce. Slack message data must never be analyzed, summarized, or used for AI training without user opt-in. Consent should be granular — per-message permission bits, enforceable through token-scoped APIs. Workspace owners need a permanent kill-switch for AI, and all AI activity must be logged, revocable, and off by default. Anything less breaks from Slack’s founding ethos and turns data interoperability into quiet surveillance and Salesforce owning all your Slack message data.

As I did some research today, no not AI, I found [buildingslack.com](https://buildingslack.com/) - and emailed the pair who are documenting Slack the early days, it would be good to see more of the origins and things that made Slack, Slack.

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/151/medium800/maker_business_saddles.png?1751573016)

The posts have some of the founding documents too...

> "Be harsh, in the interest of being excellent."

[We don't sell saddles.](https://medium.com/@stewart/we-dont-sell-saddles-here-4c59524d650d)

# Disabling AI in Slack: A Step-by-Step Survival Guide

## No Ai, No Agent, "No Software"

_Jul 8, 2024 - rough notes - working on this while working, between meetings, and taking care of family, etc. if ya want, come back in a week when it is done and you will not have to read anything out of order or notes... thanks - pt _

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/263/medium800/maker_business_ai.png?1752014873)

# Reflections on Salesforce’s first marketing campaign: No Software

> _In February 2000 Salesforce launched the “No Software” campaign by staging a mock protest at Siebel Systems' user conference. Salesforce was going to “end software”. Software was the old way, Salesforce was the new way._

[Read more.](https://henry.precheur.org/business/no_software/)

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/138/264/medium800/maker_business_no.png?1752015013)

Time to bring this back, but for Salesforce agents? The END of ... ?

# **The Bitter Irony of Salesforce's "No Software" Data Grab**
## **Ultimate Tech Company Hypocrisy**

There's a special kind of corporate irony in the tech world, and it's coming from the company that literally built its entire identity around being the anti-software crusader. Salesforce, the company that staged fake protests and chanted "End of Software" slogans back in 2000, is now doing something that would make even the most exploitative software companies... blush.

Starting July 17, 2025, Salesforce is forcing all Slack customers into an AI training program that will hoover up their private conversations, emotional moments, and confidential business communications. This isn't opt-in. This is opt-out only, buried in settings panels that are sprawling, labyrinthine panels of sliders and landmines where customers can easily misread it and accidentally compromise their org's privacy.

## **"No Software" to "No Choice"**

The historical context makes this particularly f'ed. When Marc Benioff founded Salesforce in 1999, he positioned the company as the liberator of businesses trapped by predatory software licensing models. What's changed? Billions. The famous "No Software" campaign wasn't just marketing - it was a promise that technology should serve users, not exploit them.

Benioff and team hired actors to protest outside Siebel Systems conferences, carrying signs that read "End Software" and chanting anti-software slogans. They threw a military-themed party where attendees tossed "pieces of software" into trash bins. The message was clear: software companies were the enemy, and Salesforce was here to free businesses from their tyranny. Don't become the thing ya hate, amirite?

Fast forward 25 years, and Salesforce has become everything they once protested against. They're not just collecting data - they're actively blocking third-party tools from accessing Slack data, even when customers explicitly give permission. It's a "strategic lockdown of ambient, emotional, and operational data across workplaces" with one clear motive: total control.

## **The Data Ownership Shell Game**

What makes this particularly insidious is how Salesforce is playing word games with data ownership. **Marc Benioff has repeatedly stated "Our customers' data belongs to them, it's their data" and even warned that "These LLMs are hungry for our data".** Yet when customers try to exercise control over their own data, they're met with deliberately confusing settings panels and hidden opt-out options that require emailing secret addresses.

The Adafruit team discovered they had to email a "secret Salesforce address to disable something not labeled 'AI' - but 'machine learning'. When they asked their Salesforce rep for help, they were told "AI is all around us, but let me just message my Slack Agent to lay off you". The rep might not have even been human - a perfect metaphor for how disconnected Salesforce has become from its founding principles.

## **The Numbers Game**

This isn't just about privacy violations - it's about market manipulation. Salesforce has been systematically blocking competitors from accessing Slack data while simultaneously building their own AI products with that same data. Companies can no longer help customers search their own Slack messages, effectively "hampering your ability to use your data with your chosen enterprise AI platform".

Meanwhile, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced in 2025 that the company won't be hiring any software engineers because AI is handling their work. The same AI that's being trained on your private conversations, your team's frustrations, and your business secrets.

## **The Corporate Doublespeak**

The worse part is how Salesforce frames this data grab as customer protection. They claim they're "reinforcing safeguards around how data accessed via Slack APIs can be stored, used, and shared. But these "safeguards" only apply to everyone except Salesforce itself.

When pressed about data ownership, Salesforce reps deflect with corporate speak about "thoughtful and transparent" AI implementation. But there's nothing thoughtful about opt-out-only policies that activate by default on July 17th. There's nothing transparent about hiding machine learning settings behind secret email addresses.

## **The Bigger Picture**

This isn't just about Salesforce - it's about the entire trajectory of the tech industry. The company that once promised to democratize software has become the digital equivalent of a data strip mining operation. They've turned the intimate conversations of millions of workers into training data for AI systems that will eventually replace those same workers. Will there be a tool that Salesforce offer to rank the employees via their Salesforce Slack interactions, yes of course.

Salesforce built their empire by promising to free businesses from exploitative software practices. Now they're implementing the most exploitative data harvesting scheme in business software history, all while maintaining the facade of customer empowerment.

## **The Real End of Software**

Maybe Salesforce was right about one thing: they really are bringing about the end of software. But it's not the democratizing, user-empowering end they promised in 2000. It's the end of user control, the end of data ownership, and the end of any pretending that these platforms serve anyone but their corporate lords.

The protest signs should have read "End of Privacy" instead of "End of Software." At least then we would have known what we were signing up for.

\*Remember: if you're using Salesforce Slack, you have until July 17, 2025, to opt out of their AI training program. And if you're wondering who really owns your data, just ask your Salesforce rep and send them a t-shirt that says "AI is all around us" they'll need it on the stock Discords, some say Salesforce is doing more layoffs :(

 

 

_Jul 8, 2024 - rough notes - working on this while working, between meetings, and taking care of family, etc. if ya want, come back in a week when it is done and you will not have to read anything out of order or notes... thanks - pt _

 


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