Ep 29: Salesforce AI CEO Clara Shih on Future of Slack, How Gucci Uses AI and Working with Marc Benioff

Open Source

Open source AI is gaining traction as tech giants like Google and Facebook invest heavily in this area. Patrick Chase highlights Google's decision to open source Gemma, a powerful model, as a significant move for the ecosystem, while Jacob Effron notes the enterprise demand for open source models 1. This trend is mirrored by the Mistral-Microsoft partnership, indicating a growing interest in open source solutions. Clara Shih observes that companies often choose models based on existing partnerships, with Google's Gemini being favored by its cloud customers 2.

There's a good few weeks for open source. I mean the Mistral Microsoft partnership. I think there's clearly a lot of enterprise demand for these open source models and exciting to see. We love open source.

--- Jacob Effron

This shift towards open source is expected to foster innovation and competition in the AI landscape.

   

Societal Impact

AI is poised to revolutionize the workplace, making current practices seem outdated in the near future. Clara Shih compares this shift to the technological changes of the 1990s, predicting that AI will redefine job roles and expectations 3. At Salesforce, AI is already being integrated into planning processes, such as the V2MOM framework, to enhance brainstorming and strategic development 4.

Ten years is a long time and I bet it's going to be everything. I mean, it's like us looking at how people worked in the early nineties and they filed papers in filing cabinets.

--- Clara Shih

This transformation is expected to unlock new insights and efficiencies across industries.

   

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of AI is marked by a dynamic interplay between incumbents and startups. Clara Shih notes that while established companies like Salesforce have the advantage of data and infrastructure, startups bring agility and innovation 4. Patrick Chase and Jacob Effron discuss the potential for new entrants to become major players, as seen in other tech waves like cloud and mobile 5.

I think there's so much space for innovation and value creation. And I think we saw this in previous waves of software that if you were an incumbent, sometimes that advantaged you, sometimes it disadvantaged you because you were slower.

--- Clara Shih

This evolving landscape suggests that both established firms and newcomers have opportunities to thrive.