In the midst of the rapid technological advancements, Salesforce’s CEO, Mark Benioff, recently offered a refreshing perspective on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the workplace. Speaking at the 2025 AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Benioff assured that AI is not a threat to human jobs but a tool for boosting productivity and transforming operations.
Salesforce’s AI Integration
According to Benioff, AI is now responsible for half of the work at Salesforce, acting as a productivity tool rather than a replacement for human employees. Salesforce is leveraging AI to reimagine its operations and enhance output. The company’s AI-driven strategy is evident as one-fourth of Salesforce’s new code in Q1 2025 was AI-generated. Moreover, the company’s customer service agents, equipped with Salesforce’s AI platform, Agentforce, managed to resolve a whopping 85 per cent of incoming queries.
The AI Vision: Augmentation, not Replacement
Benioff’s vision for AI doesn’t involve a mass displacement of the workforce. Instead, he envisions a radical augmentation where AI aids human employees, helping them transition into new, AI-augmented roles. The reorganization of work involves breaking down roles into distinct skills and leveraging AI to enhance those skills. This approach of using AI as a tool for workforce augmentation rather than replacement is a fresh perspective in the ongoing debate about AI and job loss.
AI Adoption across Companies
Benioff’s comments are especially significant at a time when many companies are incorporating AI tools into their operations. This trend has led to fears about automation replacing human roles. However, as Benioff suggests, the AI transformation should be about collaboration between humans and machines, not competition. He insists that when he speaks to customers, they are not discussing layoffs due to AI advancements.
The Future of AI in the Workplace
While AI adoption is growing in Western tech companies, with predictions that 40–50% of work processes will be AI-driven in the next 2–3 years, the situation is different in countries like India. Economic factors such as less population, high formal employment and deep reskilling budgets make AI adoption easier in western economies compared to countries like India.
Conclusion: A Collaborative Future
The future, as envisioned by Benioff, presents a scenario where AI and humans work collaboratively rather than competitively. This view suggests a shift from the traditional fear of AI as a job destroyer to an acceptance of AI as a job transformer. As we continue to navigate the AI revolution, companies should take a page from Salesforce’s playbook and consider how AI can augment their workforce and increase productivity, rather than focusing on how it can replace humans.
Originally published on https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/ai-does-50-per-cent-of-the-work-at-salesforce-but-dont-fear-mass-layoffs-yet-ceo-mark-benioff-says-2756183-2025-07-15
