Is AI really causing mass layoffs? Salesforce CEO disagrees
What's the story
Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, has dismissed fears that artificial intelligence (AI) will cause mass job losses in white-collar industries. In a recent interview with Fortune during his London visit, he questioned the idea that AI is behind major layoffs. "I keep looking around, talking to CEOs, asking: what AI are they using for these big layoffs?" Benioff said.
Tech integration
AI's role at Salesforce
Salesforce is one of the most aggressive adopters of AI in the corporate world. Its AI agents now handle 85% of customer service requests and qualify sales leads 40% faster than human employees. However, Benioff believes that full automation isn't possible yet because of the inaccuracy issues with AI. "The AI we have isn't 100% accurate because it's built on word models," he said.
AI reliance
Need for human oversight
Despite the efficiency gains from AI, Benioff emphasized that human oversight is still necessary. He said "Every AI needs its own fact checker, and those fact checkers are humans, not AIs," highlighting the current limitations of generative models. He uses AI as a collaborative tool to review business plans and identify strategic gaps but always keeps human judgment at the center of decision-making.
Future prospects
Benioff sees entrepreneurial boom ahead
Benioff believes that instead of causing mass layoffs, AI will lead to a boom in entrepreneurship. He said, "There's going to potentially be a lot more employment because everybody is augmented and has the ability to do more." He also noted that Salesforce has halted hiring for engineering, legal and support roles but is actively recruiting in sales and customer success sectors.