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Salesforce unveiled a major upgrade to its artificial intelligence platform on Tuesday, introducing technology that enables AI agents to perform deeper reasoning and take more autonomous actions across enterprise workflows — part of what the company’s CEO frames as an ambitious push into “digital labor.”
The San Francisco software giant’s Agentforce 2.0 represents a significant evolution in how AI assistants operate within businesses, moving beyond simple chatbots to AI agents that can understand complex requests, access relevant company data, and independently complete multi-step tasks.
“We’re creating a new industry,” said Marc Benioff, Salesforce’s chief executive, at a press conference announcing the release. “This isn’t just about managing and sharing information and data anymore. We’re a digital labor provider.”
How Atlas Reasoning Engine powers next-generation enterprise AI
The upgraded platform introduces what Salesforce calls the Atlas Reasoning Engine, which enables AI agents to engage in more sophisticated analysis and decision-making. Unlike traditional AI assistants that provide quick responses based on pattern matching, Atlas employs “System 2” reasoning — a more deliberative approach inspired by psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s research on human thought processes.
“The reasoning engine should be one of the first factors enterprise organizations consider when comparing digital labor options,” said Claire Cheng, Ph.D., VP of machine learning and engineering at Salesforce.
Early results appear promising. In testing, Agentforce 2.0 achieved a 33% improvement in answer accuracy compared to DIY AI solutions, while doubling response relevance, according to Salesforce.
The company has already deployed the technology internally. At help.salesforce.com, AI agents now handle 83% of customer support queries independently, with human escalations dropping by 50% since implementation two weeks ago.
“Suddenly, as a CEO, I’m not just managing human beings, but I’m also managing agents,” said Benioff. “There is an authentic agentic layer around the platform today. It’s not some vision fantasy in the future idea, it’s what is happening right now.”
Digital labor: The key to solving global workforce challenges
Salesforce’s push into “digital labor” comes amid growing labor shortages across industries. With birth rates declining and companies struggling to fill positions, Benioff sees AI agents as a crucial solution for business growth.
“To unlock GDP growth, we need breakthrough technology. We have to become a digital labor provider,” he said. “This is the new horizon for business — this idea that a door has opened and business will never be the same.”
The technology is already finding real-world applications. The Adecco Group, a global staffing firm, is using Agentforce to process millions of resumes and match candidates to opportunities. Digital tablet maker reMarkable deployed it for customer service, while accounting firm 1-800 Accountant expects to deflect 65% of incoming service requests using AI agents.
Behind the tech: The innovation powering Salesforce’s AI revolution
Under the hood, Agentforce 2.0 introduces several technical advances. The Atlas Reasoning Engine creates detailed semantic understanding of company data and processes, enabling more contextual responses.
“We’re able to associate each data component with contextual metadata information, which allows us to find the mapping between data and the corresponding semantic meaning,” explained Silvio Savarese, who leads Salesforce’s AI research. “This enables much more relevant, much more aligned responses to user queries.”
The platform also introduces enhanced integration with Slack, Salesforce’s workplace messaging platform, allowing employees to work alongside AI agents directly in their communication flows.
“If you want these agents to be used, to be engaged with, and you want them to get better over time, having them where people are already working is critical,” said Rob Seaman, who oversees Slack integration.
Looking ahead, Salesforce envisions expanding into physical robotics, with Benioff announcing plans for a “robot force partner program” to connect physical robots with the company’s AI agent platform.
Trust, security, and the future: Navigating AI’s enterprise integration
For Salesforce, the stakes of this initiative are significant. While the company expects $38 billion in revenue this year from its traditional software business, Benioff believes the digital labor market represents a multi-trillion dollar opportunity.
However, challenges remain, particularly around trust and security. Salesforce emphasizes its “trust layer” that prevents toxic content and maintains data privacy, while giving customers control over how agents operate within their organizations.
“These things act as a user — they don’t have God permissions or admin permissions,” noted Seaman. “We don’t create any holes for the AI to see things that it should not be able to.”
As businesses grapple with persistent labor shortages and productivity challenges, Salesforce is betting that AI agents will become an essential part of the modern workforce. The company’s vision suggests a future where human employees work alongside AI agents that can handle increasingly complex tasks — fundamentally changing how businesses operate and scale.
“This is the beginning of the beginning,” said Benioff. “When you’re at the beginning of the beginning, you see these little things, and then you try to extrapolate what this is going to be. This is an incredible moment.”
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