Gizmodo Writer Goes Incognito as 'Slackbot' Without Detection for Months

In this amusing incident, a former writer at Gizmodo executed a clever prank by assuming the identity of 'Slackbot' within the platform. The secret behind the successful prank was the ability to act like a bot within Slack's messaging system.

(Photo : Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk from Unsplash)

Update: Slack has already fixed the glitch, but it has not yet identified the cause behind that.

Assuming Slackbot's Identity

A former writer at Gizmodo ingeniously assumed the persona of 'Slackbot' on the platform, creating a delightful prank that caught many by surprise.

Despite the addition of humorous features such as grumpy eyebrows to the faux Slackbot persona, the management remained unaware of the deception, allowing it to persist for an extended period. The individual responsible for the prank, Tom McKay, shared the entire episode on X.

When it was time for McKay to leave, he decided to have a little fun. He changed his profile picture to one that looked like a grumpier version of Slackbot, the virtual assistant. Then, he changed his name to "Slackbot."

Normally you can't just change your name to "Slackbot" on Slack because it's already taken. But McKay found a clever workaround. Instead of using the regular letter "o" in "Slackbot," he used a special character that looked similar. This trick allowed him to take on the name and fool everyone for a while.

McKay's clever move disguised his Slack account so well that it managed to avoid deletion for months. With his new persona as "Slackbot," he even sent bot-like messages to his colleagues, adding a touch of humor to the situation.

Colleague Victoria Song, who also worked at Gizmodo, wasn't surprised by the turn of events, commenting, "As Tom's former coworker and a G/O Media survivor, this tracks."

Overlooking the Prank

While it's true that not all companies would overlook such a prank due to having stringent security measures in place, Gizmodo's management might have mistakenly assumed that McKay's account had already been removed.

Alternatively, they may have overlooked the presence of a duplicate Slackbot, especially one with unconventional features like grumpy eyebrows. This oversight could have been due to a lack of thorough monitoring or perhaps a genuine belief that the account was harmless.

For those unfamiliar with the platform, Slackbot functions as a virtual assistant within the messaging application Slack. It assists users with various tasks such as setting reminders and retrieving information, enhancing productivity and convenience in the workplace.

In line with the trend of generative AI, Slack has embraced the technology with the introduction of Slack GPT. This platform utilizes chatbots to enhance user productivity.

However, like many other chatbot technologies, the new Slack AI bot is not without its drawbacks. One notable limitation is its short-term attention span, a common issue among AI platforms.