Salesforce’s Bold AI Move with Agentforce

Salesforce is doubling down on AI with its latest game-changer: Agentforce. CEO Marc Benioff, who’s all about keeping that “beginner’s mind” energy, sees this as a huge step forward in automating business tasks like customer service. But don’t mistake this for another chatbot—Agentforce can make decisions and handle multi-step processes on its own. For Benioff, this is more than just an upgrade; it’s the future of customer relationship management, and he’s ready to reshape the landscape.

In a recent Fortune interview, Benioff addressed some serious side-eye from Andreessen Horowitz, which hinted Salesforce might be losing its competitive edge. But Benioff didn’t flinch—he pointed to companies like OpenTable and Fossil, early testers of Agentforce, who’ve already called it the “biggest transformation” they’ve seen in CRM. With Dreamforce around the corner, Benioff is ready to show the world why Agentforce isn’t just another AI tool—it’s the next wave of innovation.

Sure, the competition is fierce. Microsoft, SAP, and Upstarts are all jockeying for position in the AI race. But Salesforce has a secret weapon: data—and a ton of it. That data gives Salesforce a unique advantage in building AI tools that are harder for competitors to replicate. As Benioff and his team prepare to debut Agentforce at Dreamforce, they’re not just talking the talk; they’re set to prove they can lead this next big AI shift in the tech world.

Important things to note:

• Agentforce goes beyond chatbots: It’s not just answering questions—it’s making decisions and automating complex tasks, potentially transforming how businesses handle customer service.

• The "beginner's mind" approach: Benioff’s focus on constantly starting fresh allows Salesforce to stay innovative and avoid getting stuck in legacy systems, which is crucial in today’s fast-moving AI space.

• Early excitement from major companies: OpenTable and Fossil are calling Agentforce the biggest shift they’ve seen in CRM, suggesting it could reshape how businesses interact with customers.

• Salesforce's data advantage: In an AI-driven world, having access to mountains of data gives Salesforce a massive edge over competitors, positioning it to lead the charge in the next wave of CRM innovation.

• The stakes are high: With major players like Microsoft and SAP in the mix, Salesforce has to prove that its AI push isn’t just hype, but a real competitive advantage.

Google Photos Gets Smarter with Ask Photos

Google Photos is leveling up its AI game with the rollout of a brand-new feature called "Ask Photos," which lets users search their photo library with natural language queries. Instead of scrolling endlessly to find that one great shot from last summer, you can now ask Google’s AI to do the heavy lifting. Want to see the “best photo from each National Park you’ve visited”? Ask away, and the AI—powered by Google’s Gemini model—will comb through your pics, factoring in lighting, blurriness, and even geolocation, to deliver your top shots. This feature is currently in “early access” for select users in the U.S., but Google promises a wider rollout soon.

The possibilities go beyond simple photo retrieval. Whether you’re wondering which theme you used for your kid's birthday party last year (superhero? princess? both?) or trying to remember what you ordered at that trendy restaurant, Ask Photos can dig through your gallery and give you an answer. The AI is designed to understand not just the photos themselves but also their context, like recognizing the important people in your life, your go-to camping spots, or your favorite dishes.

But before you start worrying about privacy, Google assures users that the data from your Photos won’t be used for ad targeting. Plus, while Google employees may review some of the queries to improve the AI, the actual answers are kept private—unless you report an issue. Want to get in on the action? You can join the waitlist for early access and let the AI start organizing your photo chaos.

Musk Denies Tesla and xAI Partnership Rumors

Elon Musk is calling foul on a report that Tesla and his AI startup, xAI, are cooking up a deal to share revenue. The Wall Street Journal claimed Tesla might use xAI’s models for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software and develop features like a voice assistant for its cars or even software for its humanoid robot, Optimus. But Musk, in true Musk fashion, took to X (formerly Twitter) to shoot down the rumors, calling the story “not accurate.” He did give xAI a bit of a shoutout, saying Tesla learned a lot from discussions with xAI engineers, but licensing AI models? Not happening.

Musk, never one to shy away from big claims, explained that xAI’s models are so massive—containing “most of human knowledge”—that they wouldn’t even fit on Tesla’s vehicle computers. Plus, he added, they wouldn’t want them to. Still, it’s no secret that xAI, founded as a rival to OpenAI, is making waves. Earlier this year, as part of a $6 billion funding round pitch, xAI laid out a plan to train its models using data from Musk’s empire of companies: Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company, and X. The idea is to supercharge tech across all those businesses with AI.

Of course, not everyone’s thrilled about Musk’s multi-company vision. Some Tesla shareholders are suing him, claiming that xAI is diverting talent and resources from Tesla to what they see as a rival company. But in classic Musk style, he’s forging ahead, balancing his grand AI ambitions with Tesla’s tech needs—and making sure everyone knows he’s the one calling the shots.

Ilya Sutskever AI Startup Raises $1 Billion for Safe Superintelligence

Safe Superintelligence (SSI), the AI startup co-founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, just scored over $1 billion in funding. Heavy hitters like Nat Friedman, a16z, Sequoia, and DST Global are all backing the venture, which now boasts a valuation of $5 billion. So, what’s SSI planning to do with all that cash? While they’re keeping the specifics under wraps, they’ve confirmed plans to supercharge their computing power and hire top-notch researchers and engineers, with teams in both Palo Alto and Tel Aviv.

As for SSI’s focus, they’re staying tight-lipped, but given Sutskever’s background in AI safety—he led OpenAI’s now-dismantled Superalignment team—it’s safe to assume the company will have a strong emphasis on keeping AI advancements in check. This all comes after Sutskever’s quiet departure from OpenAI following a highly publicized fallout with CEO Sam Altman, which Sutskever has referred to as a “breakdown in communications.”

With $1 billion in fresh funding and a $5 billion valuation, SSI is setting itself up as a major player in the AI landscape. Whatever they’re working on, it’s bound to be something worth keeping an eye on.