Salesforce targets AI boom with $4bn UK investment

CRM giant Salesforce – whose 150,000-plus global clients include Amazon, Marks & Spencer, Asda, Currys, Co-op, Samsung and L’Oréal in the UK – has pledged to invest $4bn (£3.2bn) in its British business over the next five years.

Salesforce claims it is experiencing rapid growth in the UK, having spent $2.5bn in its operation since 2018 and, according to IDC research, the tech group will create £52bn’s worth of new business revenues for customers by 2026 – and 271,700 jobs.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence technology will be at the forefront of this ambitious growth strategy.

In March, Salesforce joined forces with OpenAI to add ChatGPT to its workplace messaging platform Slack in a move which it claims will deliver “instant conversation summaries, research tools, and writing assistance to help millions of companies work more productively”.

Meanwhile, it has also launched Einstein GPT, claimed to be the world’s first generative AI for CRM systems; AI Cloud, a real-time generative AI for business customers, and Salesforce Accelerator, a philanthropic AI initiative to help “purpose-driven” organisations gain access to trusted generative AI technologies.

And, late last week, Salesforce struck a partnership with Deloitte Digital to enable businesses to deploy “trusted” AI for CRM. Deloitte Digital will offer its AI services, industry experience, and deep knowledge of data protection to help organisations implement and scale Salesforce AI Cloud, Salesforce’s suite of trusted, open and business-ready generative AI-powered applications.

It is claimed that together, Deloitte Digital and Salesforce will help clients harness the power of AI for CRM to deliver tailored customer experiences, supercharge company productivity and safeguard their data.

Salesforce chair and chief executive Marc Benioff said: “This significant investment builds on our long-standing commitment to the UK. The UK is home to some of the world’s most incredible, innovative companies, and we’re thrilled to work together with them to drive the next wave of digital transformation in this new AI era.”

Salesforce UKI boss Zahra Bahrololoumi added: “The UK is an important global tech hub entering a new, fast-moving innovation cycle led by generative AI. This country has a golden opportunity to unlock long-lasting value for the economy and grow its status as a technology leader.

“A clear pro-innovation regulatory framework that compels safe and responsible use of AI is vital, and Salesforce is fully focused on bringing secure, trusted, enterprise ready generative AI to UK businesses.”

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