Collaboration platforms integrate AI for sophisticated services

(from left) Notion representatives Park Dae-sung, Fuzzy Khosrowshahi, and John Hurley respond to reporters’ questions during the “Make with Notion” press conference held by the global collaboration tool Notion on the 5th. (Notion)

Collaboration platforms, which are widely used in everyday settings such as schools and workplaces, are becoming more sophisticated thanks to the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI).

AI now acts as an assistant that not only helps individuals but also manages team or organizational-level projects, providing real-time essential information or drafting documents and handling approvals according to user-defined rules to streamline standardized tasks.

Notion Labs Inc., a global collaboration tool, held its first media briefing in South Korea in Seoul on Tuesday, where it outlined its strategies for the Korean market and announced major AI features that is set to launch soon.

Notion, which began in the United States in 2016 and expanded first to Korea among non-English-speaking markets in 2020, now serves over 100 million users worldwide. The platform offers personalized features based on users’ work styles and preferences and actively integrates with external services like Slack and Google Drive for differentiation.

Notion Chief Technology Officer Fuzzy Khosrowshahi noted that users can select the functionalities they need to create their unique work environment within Notion just like building with blocks, allowing them to interconnect different tasks. Notion’s goal is to enhance work efficiency by integrating AI across various functions, allowing users to focus on more creative activities and less on repetitive tasks.

One of Notion’s new AI-integrated features set to launch early 2025 is Notion Mail, where Notion AI will automatically respond to emails and organize the inbox according to the user’s workflow.

In addition to Notion Naver Cloud’s Naver Works also highlighted AI functions such as translation, document summarization, and draft generation. The collaboration platform of NHN Dooray!, for example, automatically analyzes conversation data from messenger chats and creates work plans.

Naver Works similarly summarizes unread messages and drafts content for users.

Kakao’s IT solution development subsidiary, dktechin, plans to introduce an AI assistant to its Kakao Work platform in the first half of 2025, enabling real-time conversations with users. Unlike one-way notification bots, this assistant will engage in dialogue and propose optimal schedules, including the order of approvals based on accumulated information.

Other examples include Google Cloud’s Workspace, where users can create storyboards and script drafts for marketing videos by simply entering commands, and Zoom’s collaboration platform, Zoom Workplace, where AI identifies follow-up tasks based on call content.

The reason behind the rapid adoption of powerful AI features in both domestic and international collaboration tools is the vast growth potential.

Beyond individual users, the demand for collaboration tools as an essential rather than optional resource is increasing among large organizations, including businesses and institutions. According to global market research firm Fortune Business Insights, the worldwide collaboration platform market is projected to grow to $60.38 billion in 2032 from $24.6 billion in 2024.