Singapore – Business Insider has cast doubt on Salesforce’s heavy investment in AI agents, suggesting that its flagship system, Agentforce, has yet to deliver the expected results. The publication’s analysis highlights concerns over adoption, returns, and the company’s focus on an emerging technology that has not yet demonstrated clear commercial impact.
Salesforce launched Agentforce last year, presenting it as a breakthrough in customer service automation. Early demonstrations showed virtual assistants that could interact naturally with customers and provide tailored recommendations.
However, data cited in the report indicates that fewer than half of the 12,500 businesses using Agentforce are paying customers. Internal figures also suggest that less than 2% of users conduct more than 50 interactions each week. Salesforce has responded that these figures represent only one perspective and do not fully reflect real-world use.
Analysts have noted that Salesforce’s intense focus on AI may have drawn resources away from its core operations, leading to a slowdown in revenue growth. The company’s share price has fallen by more than 20% this year, while competitors such as Microsoft and Oracle have seen substantial gains.
Nick Hamm, CEO of 10K, shared in a LinkedIn post that there is a lot of “grabbing mindshare and controlling the conversation” as we venture further into the AI Arms Race.
“Despite the negative sentiment in this article and the challenges we’ve experienced living up to some of the expectations set by Salesforce’s marketing machine, I’m still very bullish on the opportunity around Salesforce + AI,” Nick commented.
He added on LinkedIn, “Ultimately, these are the same challenges we’ve been navigating for the past 20 years.”
Salesforce’s experience mirrors broader industry challenges around generative AI. According to MIT research, the majority of enterprises investing in the technology have yet to record measurable returns, while Gartner predicts that many AI initiatives will be abandoned in the coming years due to high costs and uncertain business value.
Within Salesforce, some employees have also reportedly struggled to meet the ambitious expectations surrounding Agentforce. Clients have also described difficulties setting up and maintaining the software due to its technical complexity. In response, Salesforce has introduced a reasoning engine aimed at improving reliability and refining how the tool interprets and responds to customer requests.
Despite these issues, Salesforce continues to prioritise its AI strategy. Chief Executive Marc Benioff has reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to scaling the technology and driving growth, with new revenue targets set for the end of the decade.
