Today’s CEOs are the last generation to manage all-human workforces as companies increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, according to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Benioff said that from now on, companies will be managing not only human workers but also digital workers.
Benioff cited a recent example from his own business, noting that Salesforce’s software was used to help run the annual conference in Davos for over a decade. This year, the company incorporated an “AI agent” into its app to help attendees decide which panels to attend. He also emphasized that AI and humans can work together to create a higher level of success, and that AI is becoming a partner to help run businesses and deliver productivity gains.
However, worries have grown over AI’s potential to replace human workers. The release of ChatGPT, a chatbot powered by generative AI, has demonstrated the technology’s ability to produce detailed, human-like responses in a matter of seconds. Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of AI juggernaut Anthropic, predicts that by 2026 or 2027, AI systems will be broadly better than almost all humans at almost all things.
A recent World Economic Forum survey showed that 41% of employers globally intend to downsize their workforce by 2030 as AI automates certain tasks. However, 77% are planning to reskill and upskill their existing workers to work better alongside AI. The report noted that the primary impact of technologies such as generative AI on jobs might lie in their potential for augmenting human skills through human-machine collaboration, rather than outright replacement.
Benioff also commented on the $500 billion AI infrastructure project announced in the United States, saying it signals only the start of “trillions” more in investment. He believes that this is an opportunity for companies to completely transform how they do everything.