At Salesforce, it’s autonomous agents versus robot-like co-pilots (CRM) the annual Dreamforce extravaganza in San Francisco this week.
Chat with Dreamforce’s 2.08 meter ringmaster — Co-Founder and CEO of Salesforce Marc Benioff — and he doesn’t hesitate to predict a winner in the battle of corporate artificial intelligence.
“It’s kind of a failed idea,” Benioff told Yahoo Finance of Microsoft (MSFT) Copilot, stepping up its recent criticism of the tech giant’s high-profile AI-powered tool.
Just two weeks ago, Benioff told me that Microsoft had “misled” customers on the Copilot front.
Benioff added: “This idea that there’s some kind of platform or application that’s going to sit alongside or on top of your technology and make your business better, and the reality is that just hasn’t worked for customers.”
Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw did not respond to Yahoo Finance’s request for comment on Benioff’s comments.
At Dreamforce, Benioff and his various teams shared more details about what he dubbed “Agentforce.“
Agentforce offers AI sales agents that go beyond chatbots and can resolve customer queries.
Agentforce’s use cases were highlighted during Benioff’s packed keynote address at the Moscone Center on Tuesday. They range from an autonomous “agent” named Sophie at high-end retailer Saks helping a customer find the perfect outfit to restaurant reservation platform OpenTable offering better suggestions to diners.
Agentforce will be widely released to Salesforce customers in October. Benioff said the second version of Agentforce is already in testing and promises to further refine the results for businesses.
Benioff insists the company is building AI with good intentions, but acknowledges that development is moving faster than regulatory agencies.
“I think we’re doing a lot of good things, but we don’t necessarily know what the bad things are because the future is still somewhat undetermined,” Benioff says (video above).
For its part, Microsoft unveiled the “second wave” of its 365 Copilot technology on Monday. The AI assistant is more integrated into applications like Excel, among other improvements.
“What are five companies you know that have transformed their businesses with Copilots and need it?” Benioff asked.
Ultimately, Benioff envisions a billion AI agents in service by the end of fiscal 2026. Salesforce plans to monetize its new tool by charging per conversation, using a consumption-based model.
Agentforce’s unpacking comes as Salesforce seeks to get back into Wall Street’s good graces after its stock price fell in late May amid a tougher-than-expected outlook.
Salesforce, however, regained some credibility with the media after its results at the end of August.
The company beat Wall Street estimates for sales, operating margins and earnings.
Quarterly sales increased 11% in Europe and 16% in Asia Pacific at constant exchange rates. The company’s Americas segment recorded sales growth of 8%.
The company maintained its full-year sales forecast but raised its operating margin forecast. That could fuel excitement about Salesforce’s ability to boost profits through its various artificial intelligence initiatives.
Salesforce shares are down 3% year to date, underperforming the S&P 500 (^GSPC) Gain of 18%.
“At this point, we believe there is very little optimism built into the stock regarding the enterprise AI opportunity, so we view any early signs of adoption and any indication that AgentForce can help drive higher ARPC as a potential positive,” Evercore ISI analyst Kirk Materne wrote in a client note.
Brian Sozzi is the Editor-in-Chief of Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn. Advice on transactions, mergers, activism situations or anything else? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
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