Is AI the future of sales? Salesforce’s new models could change the game

Salesforce, the leading provider of cloud-based customer relationship management software, has introduced two advanced artificial intelligence models—xGen-Sales and xLAM—aimed at helping businesses increase automation and efficiency. The announcement, made today, reflects Salesforce’s ongoing investment in AI technology for the enterprise.

Developed by Salesforce AI Research, these models are designed to set a new standard for AI-driven automation, particularly in sales and in performing tasks that require triggering actions within software systems. The release comes just ahead of Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference later this month, where the company is expected to share broader plans for autonomous AI tools.

xGen-Sales: Automating Sales with Precision and Speed

The xGen-Sales model is designed to automate complex sales tasks with high accuracy and speed. Salesforce has tailored this model for industry-specific needs, allowing it to deliver more precise responses, generate customer insights, enrich contact lists, summarize calls, and track sales pipelines—all without human intervention.

“We’re introducing tools that will allow our customers to apply generative AI throughout their sales processes,” said Adam Evans, Senior Vice President of Product at Salesforce AI Platform, hinted in an interview with VentureBeat. “xGen-Sales improves the capabilities of sales teams by enabling them to manage pipelines and coach sales reps more effectively.”

According to Evans, xGen-Sales has already outperformed larger models in Salesforce’s internal tests, showing its efficiency and effectiveness. This improvement positions Salesforce to better meet the needs of enterprise customers seeking AI solutions that go beyond simple content generation.

xLAM: AI models that drive business actions, not just conversations

While xGen-Sales is tailored for sales, Salesforce’s xLAM (Large Action Models) family is designed to improve how AI operates across various business functions. Unlike traditional language models that primarily generate text, xLAM is specialized in performing tasks that involve triggering actions within other software systems.

“Large Action Models are about moving from generating content to actually getting things done,” Evans explained. “With xLAM, we’re enabling AI to do more than just assist; it can now handle complex tasks on its own.”

The xLAM suite includes models of different sizes, from the compact xLAM-1B, suitable for devices with limited computing power, to the more robust xLAM-8x22B, intended for organizations with significant computational resources. Salesforce’s internal assessments suggest that even the smaller xLAM models are more cost-effective, faster, and more accurate than many larger, more expensive models on the market.

Salesforce’s strategic AI push: Staying competitive in a fast-growing market

Salesforce’s introduction of xGen-Sales and xLAM comes at a crucial time for the company, as it faces growing competition in the AI space. As businesses continue to look for AI solutions that can improve efficiency, Salesforce’s focus on action-oriented AI could give it a competitive advantage.

“This is a significant moment,” Evans noted. “We’re using this technology within our own operations and making it available to all of our customers so they can apply it to their businesses. This isn’t just a feature; it’s a meaningful shift for Salesforce.”

The broader enterprise AI market is rapidly growing, with companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon also making significant advancements in AI. However, Salesforce’s emphasis on models that can take action, rather than just generate content, could set its offerings apart, particularly in industries where automation and real-time decision-making are essential.

“Salesforce is positioning itself as a leader in the next wave of AI development,” Evans said. “We’re moving towards AI tools that are more autonomous, proactive, and capable of taking action without needing to be prompted.”

Looking ahead: Salesforce’s AI vision and what to expect at Dreamforce

This AI duo arrives at a crucial moment for Salesforce. With tech titans like Microsoft and Google encroaching on the AI-powered CRM space, Salesforce faces pressure to innovate or risk losing market share. The stakes are high, with $38 billion in annual revenue and the loyalty of countless businesses worldwide on the line.

The potential impact is mind-boggling. Picture a world where AI doesn’t just crunch numbers but actively drums up business. “We envision a future in which sellers are augmented by AI to help them drive selling efficiency, freeing up precious time to focus on their customers,” Evans explained.

However, this brave new world of AI-driven sales raises thorny questions. Will these silicon sellers render human sales teams obsolete? Can we trust AI with critical business decisions? And what happens when two AI agents engage in a never-ending sales pitch standoff?

As businesses wrestle with these existential quandaries, one fact remains clear: Salesforce is all-in on AI as the future of customer relationships. Whether this high-stakes gamble pays off will determine not just Salesforce’s fate, but potentially the future of how businesses interact with customers.

The next time you receive a suspiciously perfect sales pitch, don’t be too quick to dismiss it as another soulless bot. You might be witnessing the vanguard of the AI sales revolution—armed with more processing power than it took to reach the moon, and quite possibly, the perfect solution for your needs.

In this brave new world of AI-powered sales, the line between human and machine blurs. Salesforce’s latest move doesn’t just raise the bar—it launches it into orbit. The question now isn’t whether AI will transform sales, but how quickly and dramatically. Hold onto your headsets, folks—the future of sales has arrived, and it’s powered by silicon.