Insider Spotlight
The enterprise software company unveiled AIforce, a new interface layer that makes Salesforce data, workflows, business logic and governance accessible through AI environments such as Claude and Slack. It is also expanding its catalog of ready-to-use agents as it seeks to make the technology easier for businesses with limited IT resources to adopt.
Digital participation
Salesforce views the “agentic enterprise” as a model in which humans work alongside AI agents, rather than agents simply replacing human tasks. The agents can bring together applications and workflows, surface unmet demand and identify operational bottlenecks, while keeping people involved in decisions.
That proposition could be particularly relevant in ASEAN, where Salesforce sees high levels of digital participation alongside large consumer populations.
“The Philippines and India and other companies in ASEAN are similar. They have huge populations, and with the huge populations, the ability to scale is often a challenge,” ASEAN chief technology officer and vice president of Solution Engineering of Salesforce Gavin Barfield said in a virtual media briefing.
More than efficiency gains
Salesforce said companies are beginning to consider agentic AI for more than efficiency gains. Businesses are exploring whether the technology can support revenue growth by finding new opportunities, improving customer service and attracting customers.
“Our company is now looking at agentic technology as an effective way of scaling when you have large populations and when you know you have to be able to offer that experience at scale,” Barfield added.
Lowering the tech barrier
The company is trying to lower the technical barrier to adopting agents, particularly for smaller businesses. Its ready-made catalog includes Casey, a case-management agent, and Hunter, a lead-nurturing agent.
Barfield also added that Salesforce is focusing on making AI accessible to businesses of all sizes through ready-to-use agents that can be deployed quickly without requiring large IT teams or budgets.
“By bringing the trusted context, workflows, and governance of Salesforce straight into where work already happens, AIforce empowers employees to act on enterprise data in simple, natural language. This gives businesses across the region the speed and operational agility needed to capture growing domestic opportunities,” said Paul Carvouni, Salesforce senior vice president and general manager for ASEAN.
‘Humans feel more enabled’
The theme of Dreamforce 2026 is focusing on bringing humans and AI agents together, with Salesforce defining the “agentic enterprise” as a model where agents enhance human capabilities by connecting workflows, surfacing opportunities and addressing inefficiencies, while keeping people involved in decision-making.
Salesforce South Asia president and CEO Arundhati Battacharya describes putting agentic AI to work also means focusing on bringing humans and AI agents together.
She added that “agentic enterprise” is a model where agents enhance human capabilities by connecting workflows, surfacing opportunities and addressing inefficiencies, while keeping people involved in decision-making.
“Humans feel more enabled, and agents provide the intelligence of bringing in workflows and applications that can actually surface a lot of latent demand that can remove the blockages in your companies that are creating inefficiencies, and it is done in conjunction with a human in the loop, so as to ensure that you know what you are doing is correct,” she said.
AIforce initially encompasses Claudeforce, Slackforce and Agentforce Coworker, extending Salesforce information and governed actions into different AI work environments. The broader strategy is to make agents usable where employees already work rather than requiring them to move between separate applications. —Vanessa Hidalgo | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
