Salesforce cuts staffing, aided by AI

CEO says on podcast that the firm has 4,000 fewer workers in support roles.

- BY QUEENIE WONG

SALESFORCE has employed "AI agents." Above, Salesforce Tower in New York.

Artificial intelligence already is replacing certain jobs at technology companies.

Last week, Salesforce Chief Executive Marc Benioff said the San Francisco software giant was able to shrink the number of people in support roles from 9,000 to 5,000 because "AI agents" are helping to automate certain tasks.

Appearing on "The Logan Bartlett Show," a podcast that focuses on entrepreneurship, Benioff promoted a platform Salesforce developed that enables businesses to deploy AI agents to provide customer service, support employees and improve productivity.

Salesforce's AI agents, which are capable of proactively doing work without constant input from a human, are able to respond to questions from customers about pricing, generate marketing materials and manage websites, according to the company's website.