At Inclusion Cloud, we had an amazing time live covering Dreamforce 2024, bringing you real-time updates from the event! Missed our coverage on LinkedIn or X? No worries—we’ve got you covered with this full recap.
This year’s Dreamforce was all about Agentforce, the AI-driven solution that took center stage. Marc Benioff called it “the third wave of AI,” marking a shift from AI as just an assistive tool to a fully autonomous team member. Built into the Salesforce platform, Agentforce expands Einstein AI, working across Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud to automate tasks, break down data silos, and scale operations with ease.
Want to know what else went down during those exciting three days in San Francisco? Keep reading to get the scoop on all the big announcements from Dreamforce 2024!
Agentforce: The Star of Dreamforce 2024
Benioff kicked off the event with the biggest and most anticipated news: the official launch of Agentforce. But it’s clear this isn’t just another tool to add to your tech stack. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, joined Benioff on stage and captured the essence of Agentforce perfectly: “Building an agent should not be some computer science fair project. It should be like onboarding a new team member.”
This signals a huge shift in how we think about AI. In the past, AI was seen as just a tool to help get things done faster or more efficiently—a way to assist, but not necessarily evolve with your team. Now, with Agentforce, we’re moving from thinking of AI as a tool to seeing it as a skill—something that can learn, adapt, and contribute in ways that feel more human. It’s not about creating hyper-complex systems that only engineers and tech specialists can manage. Instead, it’s about creating AI agents that are intuitive and accessible, so they can be onboarded like any other member of your team.
This shift means AI agents, like Agentforce, can now handle tasks autonomously and grow with your business. They’re not just performing isolated tasks—they’re contributing to decision-making, adapting to new challenges, and scaling as your business scales.
Agentforce is designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing apps and data, breaking down the 72% of apps that are disconnected, a stat that Marc Benioff revealed during his keynote. Disconnected apps cause data silos, slowing businesses down. Agentforce brings all that data together, making it easier to manage customer interactions, update records, and even handle complex workflows—all without human intervention.
Sofia’s Demo: AI Agents in Action at Saks
One of the standout moments was Sofia’s demo at Saks Fifth Avenue. Powered by Agentforce, Sofia autonomously handled customer service requests like a pro. Bought a sweater that’s too small? Sofia suggests the right size based on your purchase history. Worried about shrinkage? She pulls up care instructions instantly. Don’t want to wait for shipping? Sofia checks the nearest store for availability.
What sets this apart is how natural and interactive Sofia feels compared to outdated IVR systems or basic chatbots. No more robotic menus or limited responses—Agentforce lets Sofia understand and respond in a conversational, human-like way without the need for endless programming.
The game changer? The Agents don’t just follow a script—they understand the conversation. This means they can go beyond answering questions to recommending products or completing transactions. This flexibility allows them to switch from solving issues to driving sales, making the experience feel more personal, even though it’s fully automated.
Data Cloud: The Heartbeat of AI
At the core of Agentforce is Salesforce’s Data Cloud, which acts as the backbone for all AI-driven innovation. Benioff explained that “Data Cloud binds everything together”—unifying all data sources, whether structured or unstructured, across the Salesforce platform and beyond. This ensures that Agentforce can pull data in real-time from platforms like Snowflake and Google BigQuery to power accurate and timely decisions.
Data Cloud is what makes Agentforce so powerful, giving businesses the ability to scale their AI operations quickly and efficiently, while keeping workflows smooth and connected.
As Marc Benioff said during Dreamforce 2024, “We are leaving behind the era of disconnected copilots and entering a future where AI agents will power every aspect of business.” This statement directly addresses a major challenge that many organizations faced when trying to adopt earlier AI copilots. These AI copilots, while helpful in theory, often fell short of making a real impact because businesses couldn’t fully integrate them. Data silos, disconnected systems, and the complexity of incorporating AI into everyday workflows limited their effectiveness.
The root of the problem was that these copilots couldn’t function across an organization’s different platforms, making them isolated tools rather than integrated solutions. Human teams also struggled to adopt them, as these AI copilots often required manual input or didn’t seamlessly work across different departments.
With Agentforce, Salesforce is introducing a new era of AI. These aren’t just copilots waiting for your input—they’re autonomous agents that can make decisions and take actions on their own. What’s different is that Agentforce fully integrates with Salesforce’s platform, including Data Cloud, giving AI agents access to real-time data across all systems to solve the disconnection problem.
So, what’s next? At Inclusion Cloud, we’re excited about the possibilities Agentforce brings. Want to learn how it can transform your business? Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates!
