Salesforce World Tour returned to London on the 6th of June 2024. I was unable to make it in person, but thanks to Salesforce+, I’ve caught up with the best bits. If you’re after a summary, recap, or some penguin related facts, read on!
Salesforce AI Centre
By locating Salesforce’s first AI Centre in London, we are sending a clear message to customers and partners on AI: we are deeply committed to working closely together so that you can reap the rewards of this transformative technology, while ensuring it is a force for good.
Last year, Salesforce committed $4 billion investment into the UK and Ireland. This year, Salesforce are building on this by opening their AI centre in London. The centre will be used to help provide more opportunities for AI innovation, collaboration and upskilling, across the entire Salesforce community. More information is available here.
5 Steps to Enterprise AI
Looking back at Salesforce World Tour ‘23, clear progress has been made with generative AI offerings. As a result, World Tour ’24 had more focus on how to use and gain value from generative AI, such as the ‘5 Steps to the AI Enterprise’ (below).
The 5-step approach was mentioned in multiple talks. It can be applied across all of Salesforce’s AI offerings.
- Unify apps & data. Focus on a data strategy. Bring your data together to provide a foundation for your AI strategy.
- Discover AI Insights. Use AI to help explore data and yield insights faster.
- Collaborate with AI. Learn to effectively work with AI and empower your users (e.g. via natural language processing).
- Give AI new skills. Use the Einstein 1 Studio, alongside tools such as Flow Builder and Apex, to create specific actions based on your business’s logic.
- Equip AI to Act. Utilise Einstein Copilot’s planner service to interpret prompts, select the relevant actions and work with the LLM to generate the desired output.
Data is the new gold
We’re sending a prompt, instructions and your business data…. when you give all three of those things to the LLM, you’re able to get a good answer on the other side
Underpinning the 5-step approach is data. Data quality (e.g. accurate, complete, consistent, unique and valid) remains essential. If we create a report with low quality data, we will have poor results, with harmful implications (e.g. incorrect decisions, etc). The same is true for AI.
During World Tour London ’24, various statistics were quoted to highlight the issue, such as:
- 72% of company applications are disconnected (MuleSoft Connectivity Benchmark Report, 2024)
- 81% of IT leaders say data silos impede digital transformation efforts (MuleSoft Connectivity Report, 2024)
Without unified, high-quality data, efforts to utilise AI will be hindered. The quote above from Patrick Stokes illustrates this. For a prompt to be useful in a business context, it must be infused (grounded), securely, with contextual business data (see Einstein Trust Layer). This helps ensure outputs are valid and personalised to the specific use case.
Data Cloud: Front and Centre
This year’s world tour still covered many product enhancements across the platform, with new and upcoming features. However, with the strong focus on data harmonising and enriching prompts, Data Cloud stood out. Notable features covered included:
- Data Cloud on Hyperforce UK. Generally Available: July 31
- Data Cloud Vector Database. Generally Available: Today
- Proactive Asset Management. Pilot: Today
There is a strong emphasis on unlocking the value from a business’s unstructured data. This makes sense, given as much as 80% of Enterprise data is unstructured (e.g. emails, chats, knowledge articles, etc).
Continuing the data being gold analogy, harnessing unstructured data securely is a proverbial treasure trove. It makes this data available to generative AI, allowing more relevant outputs. For this reason, Data Cloud’s Vector Database was highlighted.
Given the increasing focus on Data Cloud, you may be interested in working towards the ‘Data Cloud Consultant’ certification. If so, Salesforce were offering a discount on the exam (limited time only, whilst stocks last). Click here to find out more.
Feature Enhancements
In addition to the Data Cloud items above, here are some of the other feature enhancements covered. Bear in mind that any future dates are subject to change:
For me, the Platform and Marketing enhancements seemed the most noteworthy. The beta release of Data Cloud in Salesforce Sandbox Environments is likely to be of particular interest to any business looking to test and build solutions with Data Cloud.
Equality on a Global Scale
Last, but not least, there was an interesting session on equality, diversity and inclusion as well as preparing young people for the AI future. As noted during the keynote, we are in a period of change, with AI continuing to redefine skills and processes needed to maintain competitiveness. This highlights the need to recognise the value of different experiences, backgrounds and cultures. Any business is only as strong as its people. Having this richness of perspectives will be essential to avoid inadvertent biases and discrimination in AI, as well as optimising its outcomes.
Summary
Salesforce World Tour London ’24 provided great insights into various aspects of the Salesforce ecosystem. AI continues to be a priority, as exemplified by the creation of the Salesforce AI Centre in London. The value of data was emphasised, with Data Cloud being viewed as a key tool in businesses seeking to optimise both AI and Data strategies. Numerous enhancements were also overviewed across multiple clouds. Throughout, the importance of investing in people was highlighted to get the best value, as well as being a force for societal good.
Until next time, thanks for reading! 
Bonus Penguin Fact 🐧
Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) are native to South America. They are vulnerable to various threats, such as overfishing and habitat loss. As such, conservation efforts are essential to help safeguard their future.
Fortunately, in the UK, there have been some recent successes, including:
- At Chester Zoo, 11 penguin chicks have been born. This is their most successful hatching season in a decade.
- Newquay Zoo also made headlines due to a pair of Humboldt penguins, with a 26-year age gap (Windy, 30 & Nacho, 4) also celebrating the arrival of a healthy new chick!
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