Introduction
Dreamforce 2023, Salesforce’s three-day-long flagship annual conference which saw 40,000 in-person attendees in over 1,500 sessions, ended on a high note. Deemed as “the largest AI event of the year” by the CRM giant, it was brimming with inspiration, innovation, and fun. The event served as a powerful platform for Salesforce to reinforce its commitment to implementing AI integration across its services and products.
During the keynote, Salesforce made several announcements on adding new AI-centric products to its customer-focused product portfolio, emphasizing its intention to build trust while harnessing the power of AI.
“We think that trust is the highest priority here. We want to turn it over to you — but only with trust. We want to make sure it’s integrated. We want to make sure it’s intelligent. We want to make sure it’s automated. We want to make sure it’s low code and no code. We want to make sure it’s open,” Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff said.
The event tagline “Now everyone is an Einstein – Data + AI + CRM + Trust” summarizes Salesforce’s focus on AI-Data Cloud integration.
Here are the biggest announcements and highlights from Dreamforce 2023.
Dreamforce – The Key Pointers
1.Launching Einstein 1 Platform
Salesforce’s key focus at the conference has been on the AI trust factor. According to Benioff, the Einstein 1 platform has been designed to serve as a low-code platform that ensures safe data connectivity while developing AI applications.
“The AI revolution is a trust revolution. Your data is not our product,” Benioff remarked.
The AI-driven Einstein 1 platform blends well with Tableau, Slack, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Heroku, MuleSoft, and Canvas. It leverages Salesforce Data Cloud to address data fragmentation issues and employs a metadata framework to synchronize data irrespective of the source or structure (for instance, telemetry, customer data, etc.).
Furthermore, the CRM leader’s commitment to nurturing innovation and talent in the AI domain is evident from the $500 Million Ventures fund, explicitly reserved for Einstein 1 trailblazers.
2. Introducing Einstein Copilot and Einstein Copilot Studio
Einstein Copilot is Salesforce’s new conversational AI assistant. It leverages Salesforce Data Cloud to perform natural language conversations with the users and generate ‘trustworthy’ answers. According to Salesforce, its outstanding performance is due to the generative AI integration with its services. It can be used for different workplace requirements such as updating account information automatically and generating client emails, handling catalogs, developing digital storefronts, creating product descriptions, and more.
On the other hand, Einstein Copilot Studio helps customers modify their Einstein Copilot implementations to enable real-time messaging. The new toolkit comprises three significant components including skills builder, prompt builder, and model builder, to create AI-centric sales applications. Thus, while Einstein Copilot renders a unified customer experience, Einstein Copilot Studio enables users to capitalize on Einstein Copilot across all customer-oriented channels including messaging apps such as WhatsApp and productivity apps such as Slack.
3.Announcing Data Cloud and Tableau Licenses for Free
Perhaps the best part of the Dreamforce conference was the announcement on Salesforce offering Data Cloud and Tableau licenses for free for the already existing Service and Sales Cloud customers as Unlimited or Enterprise editions. This includes two Data Cloud and Tableau Creator licenses for free for about 10,000 accounts.
4. Improved Data Cloud Features
With Data Cloud implanted in the Einstein 1 platform, dynamic, real-time data from various systems can be automated, known as the Data Cloud-Triggered Flow. This enables users to generate flows that are activated by the changes occurring in data. Another feature known as Data Graphs refers to the visual illustrations of data relationships that enable the users to comprehend their data even better.
5. Enhanced Capabilities for Marketing Cloud and Commerce Cloud
The Commerce Cloud and Marketing Cloud integration is regarded as a tactical movement by Salesforce. Around 50 generative AI capabilities are anticipated to be launched by 2024, among which 26 are current capabilities and an extra 25+ are expected by 2024, built completely on Data Cloud. This synchronization hints at the unmatched synergy that enables businesses to leverage AI capabilities in creating bespoke marketing drives and improving e-commerce capabilities.
6. Presenting New Slack Innovations
Slack is steering a transformative stage with its state-of-the-art features. At the foreground is the “Slack Lists” which has been designed to make far-reaching changes on how professionals manage their tasks, with a focus on teamwork. Making a debut entry in the pilot stage later in the year, Slack Lists displays the competence of generative AI and synchronizes diverse workflows seamlessly, ensuring that you do not miss important deadlines.
In addition, another new entrant “Slack Sales Elevate” demonstrates Slack’s dedication to improving user experiences. Through AI integration, it intends to optimize tasks and save valuable time and is a typical example of the collaboration between Sales Cloud and Slack, which sets new standards in workplace competence.
7. Introducing Life Sciences Cloud
Life Sciences Cloud, the newest industry cloud, is custom-made to accelerate onboarding on the Salesforce platform. More information is expected in the coming weeks. Designed specifically for the life sciences sector, this platform offers a unique architecture that ensures seamless integration with the Salesforce platform. Whether it is biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or biotechnology, Life Sciences Cloud is set to revolutionize the whole sector.
Image Source: https://blogs.perficient.com/2023/09/19/nine-key-takeaways-from-dreamforce-2023/
8. Expanded Partnerships
Salesforce and Google plans to escalate their partnership to further synchronize their products. Google Workspace serves as the first compliance partner for Salesforce Eistein Copilot whereas Salesforce serves as the principal partner to incorporate the Google Workspace Duet AI extensions structure. These assimilations will produce personalized content in Salesforce and Google Workspace, ensuring that Salesforce records stay updated with the Google Workspace insights.
AWS
In 2024, AWS and Salesforce are expected to pilot a sequence of integrations to aid the sharing of large language models (LLMs) and data lakes.
Databricks
At the event, Salesforce announced the integration of Databricks Lakehouse Platform and Data Cloud for sharing data. This integration enables Databricks and Salesforce users to gain access to each other’s data available at their corresponding platforms. Interestingly, another integration also happened between Snowflake and Salesforce just a few days before Dreamforce 2023.
These integrations are significant in that they alleviate the complexity of the Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) processes and facilitate Bring Your Own Lake (BYOL). This enables the customers to gain access to data present in several platforms in a unified format without worrying about security, governance, and trust, which can also help minimize related costs.
According to Adam Conway, SVP (Products) at Databricks, “Data scientists and developers want to use their preferred tools and ML frameworks to build models that can drive predictions across the Salesforce platform. Databricks unifies the data and AI platform so those AI/ML teams can now build, train, and govern their AI models in Databricks and easily bring those models into Salesforce and apply them across the Customer 360 platform.”
The Ethical AI Paradigm
Salesforce announced the Tenets of Trusted, Ethical & Humane AI at the event that serve as evidence to the CRM leader’s adherence to sensible innovation.
Image Source: Salesforce.com
10.Sustainability at Dreamforce
Salesforce took major strides in environmental responsibility in the event, striving to make it eco-friendly throughout.
Image Source: Salesforce.com
End Note
Dreamforce 2023 served more as an innovation workshop. As the tech community starts processing these groundbreaking announcements, it is evident that Salesforce leads the revolution, reinventing the future of technology and business.
As a company offering Salesforce consulting services, we look forward to the innovations announced at Dreamforce to help our customers leverage it to accomplish their business objectives. If you have any queries regarding our services, feel free to contact us at itsolutions@milestone.tech.
