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San Francisco, CA — Salesforce is deepening its reliance on artificial intelligence, with CEO Marc Benioff revealing that AI is now responsible for between 30% and 50% of the company’s total workload. The revelation underscores how fast AI has moved from experimentation to real-world deployment in reshaping major enterprise operations.

In an interview with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang, Benioff framed the shift as part of a broader transformation within the company and the wider tech industry. “All of us have to get our head around this idea that AI could do things we were doing — and we can move on to higher value work,” he said.

Automation at Scale: Efficiency Gains and Workforce Impact

As AI capabilities rapidly mature, major tech companies are leveraging them to streamline operations and cut costs. Salesforce, one of the largest customer relationship management (CRM) platforms globally, is seeing high success rates in automation, with Benioff citing a 93% accuracy rate in AI-driven processes.

This shift hasn’t been without consequence for human capital. Salesforce cut more than 1,000 jobs earlier this year, part of a strategic restructuring initiative centered on integrating AI. It’s a trend seen across the sector:

• Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski reported a 40% reduction in workforce, partly enabled by AI adoption.
• Amazon CEO Andy Jassy confirmed that the retail giant is using AI to eliminate roles and reallocate resources.
• CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity firm, also adopted similar measures to boost productivity via AI integration.

Benioff referred to this era of transition as a “digital labor revolution,” where automation tools are replacing repetitive and low-skill tasks, allowing teams to focus on more strategic or creative functions.

Accuracy and Data: Salesforce’s AI Advantage

Salesforce’s relatively high AI performance is largely attributed to its extensive data and metadata ecosystem, which fuels smarter decision-making models and more precise automation. While 93% accuracy is impressive, Benioff acknowledged that perfect performance is unrealistic. “Other vendors are at much lower levels because they don’t have as much data and metadata,” he noted.

Still, Salesforce's leap into heavy AI deployment highlights its ambitions to set the benchmark in enterprise AI adoption — and it is already influencing how rivals and partners respond.

Industry Shift: From Workforce Disruption to Strategic Repositioning

The broader message from Salesforce’s AI journey is clear: AI is no longer a futuristic concept — it’s a present-day business imperative. For companies that can integrate it effectively, it brings not just cost savings, but operational transformation.

However, the growing reliance on automation also raises questions about job displacement, workforce retraining, and the ethical deployment of AI. Policymakers, labor unions, and economists have warned of a rising skills gap and the need for guardrails in how AI impacts employment.

Benioff has positioned Salesforce as a leader in responsible AI adoption, emphasizing the importance of combining human oversight with machine learning.

Looking Ahead

As AI continues to expand across sectors — from customer service and sales to logistics and cybersecurity — the Salesforce example provides a glimpse into the near future of corporate operations. With major firms cutting staff and increasing automation, the “digital labor revolution” is underway — and it’s redefining productivity benchmarks across industries.

Benioff’s message: embrace AI, or risk falling behind.

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