Salesforce AI Handles 30% to 50% of Work, Tech Firms Follow

Salesforce has significantly integrated artificial intelligence into its operations, with CEO Marc Benioff revealing that AI now handles 30% to 50% of the company’s total work. This shift is part of a broader trend among tech firms, which are increasingly relying on AI to reduce costs and enhance efficiency. Companies like Klarna, Amazon, and CrowdStrike are also embracing automation, leading to workforce reductions and increased reliance on AI-driven solutions.
Benioff described this transformation as a “digital labor revolution,” highlighting that Salesforce’s AI models operate with 93% accuracy. However, he acknowledged that these models are not flawless and that rival firms lag behind due to a lack of comprehensive data and metadata. Despite the advancements, there are challenges. Research firm Gartner predicts that over 40% of “agentic AI” projects will be canceled by the end of 2027. The reasons cited include high costs, unclear results, and weak risk controls, with many projects being driven by hype rather than practical application.
Anushree Verma, a Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, criticized the current state of agentic AI projects, stating that most are early-stage experiments or proof of concepts driven by hype and often misapplied. She warned that this obsession with experimentation is stalling deployments and blocking production. The issue, she noted, is that many companies are jumping into AI without a clear understanding of its capabilities and limitations.
During a Gartner webinar, it was revealed that only 19% of respondents had made serious investments in agentic AI, while 42% had approached it cautiously. A significant portion, 31%, were either unsure or waiting to observe developments. This lack of confidence is partly due to “agent washing,” where vendors rebrand old technologies as agentic AI. Gartner identified only 130 vendors as genuine, with the rest being noise. Verma emphasized that most agentic AI propositions lack significant value or return on investment, as current models do not have the maturity to autonomously achieve complex business goals.
Despite the challenges, Gartner predicts that by 2028, 15% of daily work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI, up from 0% in 2024. Additionally, 33% of enterprise software is expected to come with agentic AI features by 2028, a significant increase from less than 1% today. However, integrating agents into old platforms is complex and costly. Gartner recommends building new systems with agentic AI from the start, rather than attempting to retrofit old systems.

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