Salesforce pledges $500Mn for AI trust layer development
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — Software firm Salesforce disclosed its plans to invest $500 million in startups developing generative AI technologies to become a significant player in the field.
“The most important thing we are doing in AI is trusted and responsible AI,” said Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff during an event in New York.
Benioff also shared his conversation with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, where the question of data security was highlighted, thus, accentuating the need for a “trust layer” to protect corporate data while leveraging AI tools.
This strategy explains Salesforce’s investment in AI startups Anthropic and Cohere, which challenge foundation models like OpenAI.
Salesforce’s role, according to Benioff, is to act as a custodian and guide to ensure the utility and safety of generative AI.
Salesforce AI CEO Clara Shih also showcased Salesforce’s plan to provide AI-enabled services like generating sales emails and customer segmentation, with data protection as a central component.
Meanwhile, Salesforce CTO Parker Harris and Research Chief Scientist Silvio Savarese confirmed that Salesforce would deploy its models alongside external ones based on customer needs.
They forecast the utilization of these models in generating new code in text or for specific industry applications like healthcare or visual marketing materials.
These efforts build on Salesforce’s history of AI acquisitions and investments. The company has recently invested in six AI startups and plans to double its initial commitment to $500 million for generative AI startups.
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