Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced that artificial intelligence now handles between 30% and 50% of the company's workload, including key functions such as software engineering, coding, and customer support. Benioff highlighted that the AI models achieve approximately 93% accuracy, despite a 7% error rate and occasional hallucinations, which he described as "pretty good." This integration of AI is part of what Benioff terms a "digital labor revolution," enabling employees to focus on higher-value tasks. Salesforce's AI platform, Agent Force, aims to deploy a billion digital employees by the end of the year. The CEO also suggested that current leaders might be the last to manage fully human workforces as AI increasingly automates routine tasks. This development coincides with broader industry trends where technology firms, including Salesforce, have laid off thousands of employees this year, citing AI-driven productivity improvements as a factor. Benioff's remarks come amid growing adoption of AI across the tech sector, with other leaders like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai making similar statements about AI's expanding role in the workforce.

Salesforce has launched Agentforce 3, an advanced platform designed to enhance the scalability and control of AI agents. The new version includes features such as the Command Center, which provides greater visibility and connectivity for AI agents and human users, and support for the Multi-Cloud Platform (MCP). Agentforce 3 integrates deeply with Salesforce systems and offers plug-and-play compatibility with MCP, along with access to over 20 top AgentExchange partners and more than 200 pre-built industry-specific actions. Since its introduction, around 8,000 customers have signed up to deploy Agentforce.

Additionally, HCLTech has introduced new consulting and implementation services to accelerate enterprise adoption of Salesforce Agentforce, targeting sectors including finance, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing. The consulting-led approach aims to unify agentic workflows across these industries. Other developments in the AI agent space include Genesys adding a generative AI AgentBuilder to its customer experience platform and SuperAGI offering a Qualification Agent that auto-qualifies leads based on multiple criteria such as seniority, region, industry, company size, and intent signals.

Salesforce has launched Agentforce 3, an advanced iteration of its AI agent platform designed to enhance scalability, visibility, and control of AI agents. The new version addresses previous adoption challenges by introducing features such as a Command Center for real-time monitoring and a Test Center for validation. Agentforce 3 supports over 200 vertical automations and integrates with Anthropic AI, offering users access to an unlimited number of AI agents. Additionally, the platform now includes Multi-Cloud Platform (MCP) support to improve connectivity. Salesforce reports that 8,000 customers have already signed up to deploy Agentforce, underscoring the growing adoption of the technology.

Salesforce announced a price increase averaging 6% across many of its core products, including Slack, effective August 2025. This marks the first price hike since 2023 for Salesforce and the first Slack price increase since 2022. The company attributes the price adjustment to the integration of new artificial intelligence (AI) features designed to enhance productivity, such as AI search, AI-generated channel summaries, huddle notes, daily recaps, and AI workflow generation. Morgan Stanley projects that these price increases could generate approximately $1 billion in incremental revenue over the next two years.

Concurrently, Salesforce unveiled Agentforce 3, an advanced AI platform aimed at improving scalability and control of AI agents. Agentforce has reached $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), highlighting Salesforce's strategic focus on AI-powered digital workforce solutions. The company is also expanding AI capabilities globally, including significant growth initiatives in India. Additional technical enhancements include the introduction of MCP support across Salesforce to simplify AI development workflows and enable better integration with Agentforce and APIs.

Salesforce Inc. said it will raise prices on a broad range of products, including its Slack collaboration software, by an average of 6% beginning in August 2025. The adjustment affects core cloud applications and other major product lines.

The company framed the move as part of its push to embed new artificial-intelligence capabilities across its platform, saying the pricing reflects added functionality and the costs of integrating the technology. Salesforce is the latest enterprise-software vendor to adjust its pricing as generative AI features become standard in business applications.

Salesforce has implemented restrictions preventing third-party enterprise AI companies from long-term indexing, searching, and storing Slack message data, even when customers have granted permission. This move directly impacts rival firms such as Glean, which utilize Slack data to power their AI-driven search and knowledge graph applications. The company’s decision to block external access to Slack data aims to limit competitors’ ability to leverage this valuable resource in the AI era, where data is considered a critical asset. The restrictions were publicly disclosed and have been widely reported by multiple sources, highlighting Salesforce’s strategy to maintain control over Slack data and its integration within the enterprise software ecosystem.

Researchers have identified over 20 critical security misconfigurations, including five zero-day vulnerabilities, in Salesforce Industry Cloud. These flaws expose encrypted data, credentials, and customer information to potential cyberattacks. Salesforce has patched three of these vulnerabilities and provided guidance for addressing two additional issues. However, customers are responsible for fixing the remaining 16 misconfigurations to prevent massive data breaches and compliance violations. The findings highlight ongoing cybersecurity risks within cloud services and underscore the importance of proactive security management.

Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski announced that the company saved approximately $2 million after ending its partnership with Salesforce and instead developing its own AI-driven data tools. Despite increasing automation and staff reductions, Klarna plans to maintain a human element in providing VIP customer service. Siemiatkowski emphasized the importance of software engineers acquiring business acumen to adapt to evolving industry demands. The company is focusing on a hybrid approach that combines streamlined technology with human expertise as it moves forward.

LIV Golf has entered into a strategic partnership with Salesforce to enhance fan and player experiences throughout the remainder of the season. The collaboration will leverage Salesforce's Agentforce technology to improve broadcasts in real time, optimize tournament operations, and support the league's global expansion efforts. Bryson DeChambeau expressed optimism about the partnership's potential to foster a long and impactful future for LIV Golf. The league is also preparing for the 2026 season, planning to expand to 60 players and introduce new players and teams, with only one addition made during the current transfer window.

Additionally, LIV Golf announced the appointment of Chris Heck as President of Business Operations. Heck, who previously served as President of Aston Villa FC, brings over 30 years of experience in global sports leadership and has a track record of delivering record-breaking growth. LIV Golf Virginia, presented by MaadenKSA, is scheduled to commence soon, with coverage starting at 12:00 PM EST.

A hacking group tracked as UNC6040 has targeted approximately 20 organizations in the US and Europe by impersonating IT support staff to gain access to Salesforce customer environments, according to reports from Google's Threat Intelligence Group. The attackers used voice phishing, or vishing, to convince employees to install a modified version of Salesforce's Data Loader app, sometimes branded as "My Ticket Portal," granting them significant access to sensitive company data.

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Salesforce has continued its acquisition strategy by purchasing Moonhub, a startup specializing in AI-driven hiring tools, which is winding down its operations. Some members of Moonhub's team are joining Salesforce, although the company clarified this is not a full integration of Moonhub itself. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. This acquisition follows Salesforce's recent $8 billion purchase of Informatica, a software company, which was completed after initial talks collapsed and the target's market value declined by a third.

The Informatica deal was influenced by the relationship between the CEOs of both companies. Prior to Salesforce's acquisition, IBM had also pursued Informatica but did not finalize a deal. Salesforce's strong first-quarter fiscal 2026 results were driven by AI momentum, rising remaining performance obligations (RPO), and broader platform adoption. The company is focusing on unifying AI, data, and automation across enterprises, as highlighted by its traction with Agentforce, Data Cloud scale, and the Informatica acquisition.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly reshaping the job landscape for white-collar workers, particularly in entry-level roles and software engineering. Companies are adopting AI to automate tasks such as coding, code review, human resources functions, and administrative duties across sectors including technology, healthcare administration, insurance, and supply chains. While some firms have already reduced their entry-level workforce by replacing human labor with AI agents, others are cautious, noting that AI tools are not yet fully capable of handling all job responsibilities independently. Industry leaders report that AI is driving a shift in hiring priorities, with demand growing for specialized roles in AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity, even as overall IT hiring slows.

Major technology companies, including IBM, have implemented AI to replace hundreds of human resources workers while increasing hiring in programming and sales. Executives at leading tech firms anticipate AI could replace at least 20% of software developers by the end of the year, with some organizations only opening new positions if AI cannot fulfill the role. Despite these trends, experts caution that human coders currently outperform AI in many aspects, suggesting that the transition may be gradual and uneven. The evolving use of AI is prompting companies to reconsider workforce strategies, balancing cost-cutting through automation with the potential to augment human workers’ productivity.

Salesforce announced its plan to acquire Informatica in an $8 billion deal aimed at enhancing its data management capabilities and strengthening its artificial intelligence offerings. This acquisition marks Salesforce's return to large-scale mergers and acquisitions after a period of relative inactivity. Industry experts highlight the strategic importance of integrating scalable, comprehensive data architectures to support AI strategies. However, some analysts express concerns about the execution risks associated with the deal, noting that the acquisition is not expected to close until the first half of 2027. Following the announcement, RBC Capital downgraded Salesforce's stock from Outperform to Sector Perform, setting a price target of $275 due to uncertainties related to the acquisition and potential margin pressures as Salesforce's core business faces cannibalization.

Salesforce reported earnings that surprised Wall Street, but the company's stock experienced a notable decline, marking its worst day in a year. Despite the earnings beat, analysts and investors remain cautious due to emerging weaknesses highlighted in the report. Salesforce's Chief Financial Officer Robin Washington disclosed that the company's push into artificial intelligence (AI) has led to a slowdown in hiring, particularly affecting software engineering and customer service roles. Approximately 500 customer service employees are being reassigned to other positions within the company.

Meanwhile, Salesforce is increasing its hiring for sales staff by 22% this year. CEO Marc Benioff described concerns about AI-related job cuts as "alarmist," even as the technology replaces certain roles. The company's product performance remains strong, but the stock market reaction reflects investor apprehension about the impact of AI on workforce dynamics and overall growth prospects. Related technology companies such as HP and Dell Technologies also released earnings reports around the same period, with discussions focusing on their positions in the AI race and the implications for their business outlooks.

Salesforce has resumed its merger and acquisition (M&A) activities, reflecting a cautious approach aligned with its recent strategic restructuring. Market observers note that Salesforce's latest acquisition appears to be reasonably priced, a departure from its historical pattern of overpaying for deals. Despite this, the broader M&A environment remains challenging, as studies indicate that approximately two-thirds of M&A transactions fail to realize anticipated synergies, underscoring the importance of thorough post-merger evaluations. Additionally, Salesforce and its peers face an uncertain economic outlook, with corporate clients expected to tighten spending amid concerns over a potential trade war and recession. Salesforce is anticipated to report revenue growth of less than 7% year-over-year in its upcoming earnings announcement.

Amid the challenges posed by the 145% tariffs on Chinese goods implemented under former President Donald Trump, companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to mitigate the impact on manufacturing and trade. These tariffs have contributed to cooler-than-expected demand for electric vehicles and exacerbated skills shortages in the industry. AI-enabled enhancements are helping manufacturers navigate these obstacles by processing complex tariff changes rapidly. Notably, Salesforce has introduced a tariff AI agent capable of instantly analyzing updates across 20,000 U.S. customs product categories, providing businesses with a critical tool to adapt to the evolving trade environment. This adoption of AI reflects a broader trend of leveraging technological innovation to address the disruptions caused by reciprocal tariffs and global trade tensions.

Advancements in artificial intelligence have led to the emergence of a new generation of voice AI agents that are increasingly humanlike and capable of handling customer service interactions. Companies such as Salesforce have introduced Agentforce, an AI-powered platform designed to enhance financial services firms by reducing administrative tasks and improving customer experience. Salesforce's Agentforce enables banks, insurers, and wealth managers to focus more on trust and relationships by automating busywork. The technology is also being applied to streamline employer onboarding, as seen with Indeed's deployment of Agentforce.

Industry events like the Agentforce Tour in New York City have showcased the integration of AI agents with human workers, highlighting innovations across service and field operations. Experts note that voice AI is becoming a transformative tool, offering immediate return on investment through labor replacement and generating rich real-time data. With a projected global shortfall of 100,000 financial advisors by 2034, AI solutions like Salesforce's Agentforce are positioned to address workforce challenges in financial services. The voice AI market is expanding rapidly across sectors such as customer support and healthcare, with speech-to-speech models that closely mimic human interaction driving growth in the over $10 trillion services market. Industry leaders emphasize the growing revenue potential of voice AI products, with some AI voice agents reportedly performing as well or better than human agents over the past 12 to 18 months.

Salesforce has introduced BLIP3-o, a family of fully open-source unified multimodal models designed for both image understanding and generation. The models utilize a novel diffusion transformer architecture to generate semantically rich CLIP image features, replacing traditional variational autoencoder (VAE)-based decoders. This approach enables faster training and sharper image results. BLIP3-o is available on Hugging Face, including the architecture, training data, code, and pretrained models. The development represents a breakthrough in unified multimodal AI, integrating image generation and understanding within a single autoregressive framework. Salesforce's release has been accompanied by a research paper and open-source code, highlighting the model's capabilities and training methodology.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama was seen dining at Quince, a three-Michelin-star restaurant located in San Francisco's Jackson Square, on Wednesday evening. The restaurant is one of the Bay Area's few establishments with such a prestigious rating. Obama arrived at the venue around 7 p.m., shortly after Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, was spotted entering the restaurant. It remains unclear if the two dined together. Earlier, Barack and Michelle Obama were observed dining together at an Italian restaurant in Washington, where they were greeted with applause by other guests.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced that artificial intelligence now handles between 30% and 50% of the company's workload, including key functions such as software engineering, coding, and customer support. Benioff highlighted that the AI models achieve approximately 93% accuracy, despite a 7% error rate and occasional hallucinations, which he described as "pretty good." This integration of AI is part of what Benioff terms a "digital labor revolution," enabling employees to focus on higher-value tasks. Salesforce's AI platform, Agent Force, aims to deploy a billion digital employees by the end of the year. The CEO also suggested that current leaders might be the last to manage fully human workforces as AI increasingly automates routine tasks. This development coincides with broader industry trends where technology firms, including Salesforce, have laid off thousands of employees this year, citing AI-driven productivity improvements as a factor. Benioff's remarks come amid growing adoption of AI across the tech sector, with other leaders like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai making similar statements about AI's expanding role in the workforce.

Salesforce has launched Agentforce 3, an advanced platform designed to enhance the scalability and control of AI agents. The new version includes features such as the Command Center, which provides greater visibility and connectivity for AI agents and human users, and support for the Multi-Cloud Platform (MCP). Agentforce 3 integrates deeply with Salesforce systems and offers plug-and-play compatibility with MCP, along with access to over 20 top AgentExchange partners and more than 200 pre-built industry-specific actions. Since its introduction, around 8,000 customers have signed up to deploy Agentforce.

Additionally, HCLTech has introduced new consulting and implementation services to accelerate enterprise adoption of Salesforce Agentforce, targeting sectors including finance, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing. The consulting-led approach aims to unify agentic workflows across these industries. Other developments in the AI agent space include Genesys adding a generative AI AgentBuilder to its customer experience platform and SuperAGI offering a Qualification Agent that auto-qualifies leads based on multiple criteria such as seniority, region, industry, company size, and intent signals.

Salesforce has launched Agentforce 3, an advanced iteration of its AI agent platform designed to enhance scalability, visibility, and control of AI agents. The new version addresses previous adoption challenges by introducing features such as a Command Center for real-time monitoring and a Test Center for validation. Agentforce 3 supports over 200 vertical automations and integrates with Anthropic AI, offering users access to an unlimited number of AI agents. Additionally, the platform now includes Multi-Cloud Platform (MCP) support to improve connectivity. Salesforce reports that 8,000 customers have already signed up to deploy Agentforce, underscoring the growing adoption of the technology.

Salesforce announced a price increase averaging 6% across many of its core products, including Slack, effective August 2025. This marks the first price hike since 2023 for Salesforce and the first Slack price increase since 2022. The company attributes the price adjustment to the integration of new artificial intelligence (AI) features designed to enhance productivity, such as AI search, AI-generated channel summaries, huddle notes, daily recaps, and AI workflow generation. Morgan Stanley projects that these price increases could generate approximately $1 billion in incremental revenue over the next two years.

Concurrently, Salesforce unveiled Agentforce 3, an advanced AI platform aimed at improving scalability and control of AI agents. Agentforce has reached $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), highlighting Salesforce's strategic focus on AI-powered digital workforce solutions. The company is also expanding AI capabilities globally, including significant growth initiatives in India. Additional technical enhancements include the introduction of MCP support across Salesforce to simplify AI development workflows and enable better integration with Agentforce and APIs.

Salesforce Inc. said it will raise prices on a broad range of products, including its Slack collaboration software, by an average of 6% beginning in August 2025. The adjustment affects core cloud applications and other major product lines.

The company framed the move as part of its push to embed new artificial-intelligence capabilities across its platform, saying the pricing reflects added functionality and the costs of integrating the technology. Salesforce is the latest enterprise-software vendor to adjust its pricing as generative AI features become standard in business applications.

Salesforce has implemented restrictions preventing third-party enterprise AI companies from long-term indexing, searching, and storing Slack message data, even when customers have granted permission. This move directly impacts rival firms such as Glean, which utilize Slack data to power their AI-driven search and knowledge graph applications. The company’s decision to block external access to Slack data aims to limit competitors’ ability to leverage this valuable resource in the AI era, where data is considered a critical asset. The restrictions were publicly disclosed and have been widely reported by multiple sources, highlighting Salesforce’s strategy to maintain control over Slack data and its integration within the enterprise software ecosystem.

Researchers have identified over 20 critical security misconfigurations, including five zero-day vulnerabilities, in Salesforce Industry Cloud. These flaws expose encrypted data, credentials, and customer information to potential cyberattacks. Salesforce has patched three of these vulnerabilities and provided guidance for addressing two additional issues. However, customers are responsible for fixing the remaining 16 misconfigurations to prevent massive data breaches and compliance violations. The findings highlight ongoing cybersecurity risks within cloud services and underscore the importance of proactive security management.

Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski announced that the company saved approximately $2 million after ending its partnership with Salesforce and instead developing its own AI-driven data tools. Despite increasing automation and staff reductions, Klarna plans to maintain a human element in providing VIP customer service. Siemiatkowski emphasized the importance of software engineers acquiring business acumen to adapt to evolving industry demands. The company is focusing on a hybrid approach that combines streamlined technology with human expertise as it moves forward.

LIV Golf has entered into a strategic partnership with Salesforce to enhance fan and player experiences throughout the remainder of the season. The collaboration will leverage Salesforce's Agentforce technology to improve broadcasts in real time, optimize tournament operations, and support the league's global expansion efforts. Bryson DeChambeau expressed optimism about the partnership's potential to foster a long and impactful future for LIV Golf. The league is also preparing for the 2026 season, planning to expand to 60 players and introduce new players and teams, with only one addition made during the current transfer window.

Additionally, LIV Golf announced the appointment of Chris Heck as President of Business Operations. Heck, who previously served as President of Aston Villa FC, brings over 30 years of experience in global sports leadership and has a track record of delivering record-breaking growth. LIV Golf Virginia, presented by MaadenKSA, is scheduled to commence soon, with coverage starting at 12:00 PM EST.

A hacking group tracked as UNC6040 has targeted approximately 20 organizations in the US and Europe by impersonating IT support staff to gain access to Salesforce customer environments, according to reports from Google's Threat Intelligence Group. The attackers used voice phishing, or vishing, to convince employees to install a modified version of Salesforce's Data Loader app, sometimes branded as "My Ticket Portal," granting them significant access to sensitive company data.

Read more

Salesforce has continued its acquisition strategy by purchasing Moonhub, a startup specializing in AI-driven hiring tools, which is winding down its operations. Some members of Moonhub's team are joining Salesforce, although the company clarified this is not a full integration of Moonhub itself. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. This acquisition follows Salesforce's recent $8 billion purchase of Informatica, a software company, which was completed after initial talks collapsed and the target's market value declined by a third.

The Informatica deal was influenced by the relationship between the CEOs of both companies. Prior to Salesforce's acquisition, IBM had also pursued Informatica but did not finalize a deal. Salesforce's strong first-quarter fiscal 2026 results were driven by AI momentum, rising remaining performance obligations (RPO), and broader platform adoption. The company is focusing on unifying AI, data, and automation across enterprises, as highlighted by its traction with Agentforce, Data Cloud scale, and the Informatica acquisition.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly reshaping the job landscape for white-collar workers, particularly in entry-level roles and software engineering. Companies are adopting AI to automate tasks such as coding, code review, human resources functions, and administrative duties across sectors including technology, healthcare administration, insurance, and supply chains. While some firms have already reduced their entry-level workforce by replacing human labor with AI agents, others are cautious, noting that AI tools are not yet fully capable of handling all job responsibilities independently. Industry leaders report that AI is driving a shift in hiring priorities, with demand growing for specialized roles in AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity, even as overall IT hiring slows.

Major technology companies, including IBM, have implemented AI to replace hundreds of human resources workers while increasing hiring in programming and sales. Executives at leading tech firms anticipate AI could replace at least 20% of software developers by the end of the year, with some organizations only opening new positions if AI cannot fulfill the role. Despite these trends, experts caution that human coders currently outperform AI in many aspects, suggesting that the transition may be gradual and uneven. The evolving use of AI is prompting companies to reconsider workforce strategies, balancing cost-cutting through automation with the potential to augment human workers’ productivity.

Salesforce announced its plan to acquire Informatica in an $8 billion deal aimed at enhancing its data management capabilities and strengthening its artificial intelligence offerings. This acquisition marks Salesforce's return to large-scale mergers and acquisitions after a period of relative inactivity. Industry experts highlight the strategic importance of integrating scalable, comprehensive data architectures to support AI strategies. However, some analysts express concerns about the execution risks associated with the deal, noting that the acquisition is not expected to close until the first half of 2027. Following the announcement, RBC Capital downgraded Salesforce's stock from Outperform to Sector Perform, setting a price target of $275 due to uncertainties related to the acquisition and potential margin pressures as Salesforce's core business faces cannibalization.

Salesforce reported earnings that surprised Wall Street, but the company's stock experienced a notable decline, marking its worst day in a year. Despite the earnings beat, analysts and investors remain cautious due to emerging weaknesses highlighted in the report. Salesforce's Chief Financial Officer Robin Washington disclosed that the company's push into artificial intelligence (AI) has led to a slowdown in hiring, particularly affecting software engineering and customer service roles. Approximately 500 customer service employees are being reassigned to other positions within the company.

Meanwhile, Salesforce is increasing its hiring for sales staff by 22% this year. CEO Marc Benioff described concerns about AI-related job cuts as "alarmist," even as the technology replaces certain roles. The company's product performance remains strong, but the stock market reaction reflects investor apprehension about the impact of AI on workforce dynamics and overall growth prospects. Related technology companies such as HP and Dell Technologies also released earnings reports around the same period, with discussions focusing on their positions in the AI race and the implications for their business outlooks.

Salesforce has resumed its merger and acquisition (M&A) activities, reflecting a cautious approach aligned with its recent strategic restructuring. Market observers note that Salesforce's latest acquisition appears to be reasonably priced, a departure from its historical pattern of overpaying for deals. Despite this, the broader M&A environment remains challenging, as studies indicate that approximately two-thirds of M&A transactions fail to realize anticipated synergies, underscoring the importance of thorough post-merger evaluations. Additionally, Salesforce and its peers face an uncertain economic outlook, with corporate clients expected to tighten spending amid concerns over a potential trade war and recession. Salesforce is anticipated to report revenue growth of less than 7% year-over-year in its upcoming earnings announcement.

Amid the challenges posed by the 145% tariffs on Chinese goods implemented under former President Donald Trump, companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to mitigate the impact on manufacturing and trade. These tariffs have contributed to cooler-than-expected demand for electric vehicles and exacerbated skills shortages in the industry. AI-enabled enhancements are helping manufacturers navigate these obstacles by processing complex tariff changes rapidly. Notably, Salesforce has introduced a tariff AI agent capable of instantly analyzing updates across 20,000 U.S. customs product categories, providing businesses with a critical tool to adapt to the evolving trade environment. This adoption of AI reflects a broader trend of leveraging technological innovation to address the disruptions caused by reciprocal tariffs and global trade tensions.

Advancements in artificial intelligence have led to the emergence of a new generation of voice AI agents that are increasingly humanlike and capable of handling customer service interactions. Companies such as Salesforce have introduced Agentforce, an AI-powered platform designed to enhance financial services firms by reducing administrative tasks and improving customer experience. Salesforce's Agentforce enables banks, insurers, and wealth managers to focus more on trust and relationships by automating busywork. The technology is also being applied to streamline employer onboarding, as seen with Indeed's deployment of Agentforce.

Industry events like the Agentforce Tour in New York City have showcased the integration of AI agents with human workers, highlighting innovations across service and field operations. Experts note that voice AI is becoming a transformative tool, offering immediate return on investment through labor replacement and generating rich real-time data. With a projected global shortfall of 100,000 financial advisors by 2034, AI solutions like Salesforce's Agentforce are positioned to address workforce challenges in financial services. The voice AI market is expanding rapidly across sectors such as customer support and healthcare, with speech-to-speech models that closely mimic human interaction driving growth in the over $10 trillion services market. Industry leaders emphasize the growing revenue potential of voice AI products, with some AI voice agents reportedly performing as well or better than human agents over the past 12 to 18 months.

Salesforce has introduced BLIP3-o, a family of fully open-source unified multimodal models designed for both image understanding and generation. The models utilize a novel diffusion transformer architecture to generate semantically rich CLIP image features, replacing traditional variational autoencoder (VAE)-based decoders. This approach enables faster training and sharper image results. BLIP3-o is available on Hugging Face, including the architecture, training data, code, and pretrained models. The development represents a breakthrough in unified multimodal AI, integrating image generation and understanding within a single autoregressive framework. Salesforce's release has been accompanied by a research paper and open-source code, highlighting the model's capabilities and training methodology.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama was seen dining at Quince, a three-Michelin-star restaurant located in San Francisco's Jackson Square, on Wednesday evening. The restaurant is one of the Bay Area's few establishments with such a prestigious rating. Obama arrived at the venue around 7 p.m., shortly after Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, was spotted entering the restaurant. It remains unclear if the two dined together. Earlier, Barack and Michelle Obama were observed dining together at an Italian restaurant in Washington, where they were greeted with applause by other guests.