Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says artificial intelligence now handles between 30% and 50% of the company’s workload, signaling a major shift in how tech firms are leveraging automation to streamline operations and restructure their workforce.
“All of us have to get our head around this idea that AI could do things that before, we were doing, and we can move on to do higher-value work,” Benioff said in an interview with Bloomberg. He called the growing use of artificial intelligence in the workplace a “digital labor revolution.”
The company has integrated AI across multiple departments, including software engineering and customer service. Benioff said the company’s internal AI systems have achieved 93% accuracy, driven by robust data and metadata. “It’s pretty good,” he added, though “100% [accuracy] is not realistic.”
Salesforce is not alone in embracing AI to boost efficiency. Other major players in the tech industry are restructuring operations and rethinking workforce strategies in response to AI advancements.
Cybersecurity company CrowdStrike has restructured its internal systems to adopt AI-based tools. Meanwhile, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company is using AI to reduce roles and improve operational efficiency.
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski revealed that the Swedish fintech firm has cut its workforce by 40%, citing AI’s impact on reducing staffing needs.
Benioff noted that Salesforce’s competitive advantage stems from its expansive data infrastructure. “Other vendors are at much lower levels because they don’t have as much data and metadata,” he said.
Earlier this year, Salesforce eliminated over 1,000 positions as part of a broader AI-focused restructuring. The layoffs reflect a growing trend among tech firms optimizing their labor forces by using AI to perform tasks once handled by employees.
Executives at Microsoft and Alphabet have also confirmed that AI is generating around 30% of new software code on certain projects, underscoring the growing influence of generative AI on product development.
While proponents argue that AI enables workers to focus on more strategic and creative work, its rapid adoption is creating uncertainty about the future of traditional roles. Companies are under increasing pressure to reskill employees as job functions evolve.
Benioff’s outlook acknowledges both the promise and disruption of this new era: “AI is doing 30% to 50% of the work at Salesforce now,” he said. “That’s the future we’re building toward.”
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