Salesforce Replaces Half Its Workforce With AI—What That Means for Employees Everywhere

Salesforce Says AI Now Handles 50% of Its Workload

Salesforce is shifting its operations heavily toward artificial intelligence. On June 26th, 2025, CEO Mark Benioff announced that AI now completes between 30% and 50% of the company’s tasks. This change goes beyond just improving efficiency—it's reshaping how work gets done, especially in customer service roles.

What Does “Half the Work” Actually Mean?

Benioff's statement raises key questions: What types of tasks is AI handling? Which roles are being affected? And what does this shift mean for employees who manage customer relationships daily?

At the AI Now event in Washington, Benioff described AI’s involvement as spanning from sales forecasting with Einstein GPT to automated customer support chatbots. Internally, AI helps with document processing, scheduling, and drafting communications that were once human responsibilities.

However, the exact breakdown of these AI-driven tasks remains unclear, especially when it comes to how this affects human employees.

AI Replacing Jobs Across Industries

This isn’t unique to Salesforce. Across white-collar sectors, AI is quietly replacing human roles. For example:

• Duolingo has shifted to an AI-first model, replacing content creators and moderators, affecting response quality.
• Goldman Sachs uses AI to summarize IPO documents, eliminating junior analyst tasks.
• HSBC is automating 90% of routine back-office work through AI agents.
• Workday has cut over 1,700 jobs while increasing AI product focus.

Major companies like Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Intel are also restructuring teams to prioritize AI, often reducing staff in the process. Even customer support roles at Amazon are being replaced by AI-powered systems.

For customer support professionals, this means AI could soon handle many repetitive or routine tasks you currently perform.

Which Roles Are Being Replaced?

Salesforce’s AI adoption follows a decade of workforce reductions, with over 10% of jobs cut globally between 2013 and 2024. Now, many of those roles are being replaced or supplemented by AI tools.

Workers report that AI is taking over tasks traditionally done by support agents, content writers, HR personnel, and administrative staff. While companies like Oracle, Microsoft, and Hubspot have integrated AI into sales and service, none openly claim that AI now produces half their output.

This transition raises important concerns:

• If AI handles half the work, what happens to the employees who used to do it?
• When AI-driven decisions affect customers or legal outcomes, who is responsible if errors occur—the developer, employer, or AI?
• How will companies balance productivity gains with ethical and compliance considerations?

Salesforce may be leading in AI adoption, but the industry still needs clear guidelines on managing AI’s impact on jobs and accountability.

What Customer Support Workers Should Know

If you work in customer support, these changes affect you directly. AI will likely take over routine inquiries, data entry, and scheduling, shifting your role toward handling more complex or sensitive interactions.

Preparing for this shift means adapting your skills. Learning how to work alongside AI tools or managing AI-driven workflows will become essential. For practical training and resources, exploring courses on AI in customer service can help you stay relevant and effective.

For example, Complete AI Training offers courses tailored to AI’s role in various jobs, including customer support.

Final Thoughts

AI is changing how companies like Salesforce operate, with half their work now AI-driven. This shift impacts job security, daily tasks, and how customer support is delivered. Staying informed and upskilling will be key to navigating this new landscape.