Salesforce abandons Agentforce 2.0, brings intelligent AI to the enterprise

Salesforce unveiled a major upgrade to its artificial intelligence platform on Tuesday, introducing technology that allows AI agents to perform deeper reasoning and take more autonomous actions in corporate workflows — part of what the company’s CEO described as an ambitious a push towards ‘digital labour’.

The San Francisco software giant Agentforce 2.0 represents a significant evolution in the way AI assistants work in business, moving beyond simple chatbots to AI agents that can understand complex queries, access relevant company data and independently complete multi-step tasks.

“We’re creating a new industry,” Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, said at a press conference announcing the release. “It’s no longer just about managing and sharing information and data. We are a digital workforce provider.”

How Atlas Reasoning Engine Powers Next Generation AI for Enterprises

The upgraded platform introduces what Salesforce calls Atlas Reasoning Enginewhich allows AI agents to engage in more complex analysis and decision-making. Unlike traditional AI assistants that provide quick answers based on pattern matching, Atlas uses “System 2” reasoning — a more conscious 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 job opportunities,” said Claire Cheng, Ph.D., vice president of machine learning and engineering at Salesforce.

Early results look promising. In testing, Agentforce 2.0 achieved a 33% improvement in response accuracy compared to DIY AI solutions, while doubling response relevance, according to Salesforce.

The company has already implemented the technology internally. At help.salesforce.comAI agents now handle 83% of customer support requests independently, with human escalations down 50% since the rollout two weeks ago.

“All of a sudden, as a CEO, I’m not just managing people, I’m managing agents,” Benioff said. “Today there is an authentic agent layer around the platform. It’s not some fantasy vision of the future, it’s what’s happening right now.”

Digital Work: The Key to Solving Global Workforce Challenges

Salesforce’s push into “digital labor” comes amid growth labor shortage in industries. As the birth rate declines and companies struggle to fill positions, Benioff sees AI agents as a crucial solution for business growth.

“To unlock GDP growth, we need breakthrough technology. We need to become a digital labor provider,” he said. “It’s the new horizon for business — this idea that a door has opened and business will never be the same.”

The technology is already finding applications in the real world. The Adecco Groupa global recruiting firm, uses Agentforce to process millions of resumes and connect candidates with opportunities. Manufacturer of digital tablets remarkable deployed it to customer service while an accounting firm 1-800 Accountant expects to divert 65% of incoming service requests using AI agents.

Behind the Technology: The Innovation Driving Salesforce’s AI Revolution

Under the hood, Agentforce 2.0 introduces several technical advancements. The Atlas Reasoning Engine creates a detailed semantic understanding of company data and processes, enabling more contextual responses.

“We can associate each data component with contextual metadata information, which allows us to find the mapping between the data and the corresponding semantic meaning,” explained Silvio Savarese, who leads Salesforce’s AI research. “This enables much more relevant, much more coherent responses to user queries.”

The platform also introduces improved 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, engaged with, and you want them to improve over time, having them where people are already working is critical,” said Rob Seaman, who oversees the 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 the Enterprise Integration of AI

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 job market represents a multi-trillion dollar opportunity.

However, challenges remain, particularly in terms of trust and security. Salesforce highlights its “trust layer” that prevents toxic content and maintains data privacy while giving customers control over how agents operate in their organizations.

“These things act as users—they don’t have god rights or admin rights,” Seaman noted. “We’re not creating any loopholes for AI to see things it shouldn’t 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 envisions a future where human employees work alongside artificial intelligence agents that can handle increasingly complex tasks—fundamentally changing the way businesses operate and scale.

“This is the beginning of the beginning,” Benioff said. “When you’re early on, you see these little things and then you try to extrapolate what that’s going to be. It’s an amazing moment.”