Can a new hire find the same answer you get from Slack AI?
‘Ask Slack AI’ isn't a complete onboarding instruction if the answer lives in a conversation the new hire can't read. Slack's existing security guide says its AI search won't surface information that regular search wouldn't, including private channels and DMs the person hasn't joined. That boundary should stay. The manager's successful search doesn't show that a new colleague can find the same rule. Before replacing an onboarding explanation, I'd try one ordinary question with the new hire: ‘Who can approve a customer refund?’ If the approved answer only exists in a managers' discussion, have the support lead put the current rule and exception contact in the team's shared instructions. Don't open the whole private channel just to make search work. This is a rollout check I'd suggest, not a failure I've tested in Slack. A new colleague shouldn't need a manager's chat history to learn how to do their job.
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Before changing channel membership, check whether the new hire has access to the AI feature itself. Slack's same guide says owners and admins can choose which AI features members can use; Enterprise admins can also restrict them to particular users or groups. Reading the right channel and being allowed to ask AI about it are separate permissions. I'd have the colleague try regular search first. If they can find the approved refund rule there but can't use AI search, opening more conversations won't address that difference. Keep the ordinary search route in the onboarding instructions so they aren't left waiting for an admin to let them do their job.