Are AI Agents The New Apps? HubSpot and Salesforce Think So

AI agents: The new frontier in marketing and customer engagement: Salesforce and HubSpot, two leading marketing and customer intelligence platforms, are embracing AI agents as the future of customer interaction and marketing automation.

• Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot’s CTO and co-founder, declared at the company’s INBOUND conference that “Agents are the new apps.”
• Adam Evans, Salesforce’s Senior Vice President, echoed this sentiment, stating that “Wave three of AI is here. And it’s agents.”
• This shift aligns with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s vision of an AI-first company, as promised last year.

The evolution of AI in business: Salesforce’s Evans outlines three distinct waves of AI adoption in the business world, with autonomous agents representing the latest advancement.

• The first wave focused on predictive AI, used to forecast customer behavior.
• Generative AI has dominated the conversation for the past two years.
• The emerging third wave introduces autonomous agents: AI systems capable of independent action.

Defining AI agents: HubSpot’s Shah provides a clear definition of these new digital assistants and their role in future work environments.

• AI agents are software that utilize artificial intelligence and tools to accomplish multi-step goals.
• Future work teams are expected to be hybrid, combining human workers with AI agents as digital partners.

Capabilities of AI agents: Both Salesforce and HubSpot are developing powerful AI agents with a wide range of functionalities aimed at streamlining marketing and customer engagement processes.

• HubSpot’s Breeze can edit podcasts, create blog posts, write social media updates, generate personalized emails, research people and companies, create marketing campaigns, respond to customer inquiries, unify customer data, and enrich customer records.
• Salesforce’s Einstein AI-powered agents can answer questions, schedule appointments, sell products, and suggest next actions.
• These advanced AI agents significantly outperform traditional website chatbots in terms of capabilities and user experience.

Impact on consumer interactions: The widespread adoption of AI agents is set to transform how businesses communicate with and market to consumers.

• Consumers can expect more personalized interactions, with AI agents leveraging extensive data to craft tailored messages and content.
• There’s potential for both increased spam and more relevant, targeted communications from businesses.

Ethical considerations and job impact: The rapid advancement of AI agents raises important questions about their effect on the workforce and ethical implications.

• Paula Goldman, Salesforce’s chief ethical and humane use officer, sees AI as an opportunity to make jobs more enjoyable, creative, and productive.
• Some executives view AI agents as a way to offload mundane tasks, likening them to an “infinite supply of interns.”
• However, concerns persist about the potential for AI to replace human workers as the technology continues to improve rapidly.

The pace of AI advancement: HubSpot’s Shah highlights the unprecedented rate of improvement in AI capabilities.

• AI models are reportedly doubling in capability every six months, far outpacing Moore’s Law.
• This rapid progress suggests that AI agents will continue to take on increasingly significant roles in business operations.

Balancing AI integration with human oversight: As AI agents become more prevalent, there’s a growing need for tools to manage their impact on consumers and businesses.

• Apple is reportedly working on AI filters to help manage the potential increase in AI-generated content and communications.
• The ultimate goal is to leverage AI to enhance productivity and focus on high-value tasks while maintaining a balance with human involvement.

Looking ahead: Potential benefits and challenges: The integration of AI agents in marketing and customer engagement presents both opportunities and potential pitfalls for businesses and consumers alike.

• While AI agents promise to improve efficiency and personalization in customer interactions, there are concerns about privacy, job displacement, and the quality of human-to-human connections in an increasingly automated world.
• As this technology continues to evolve, it will be crucial for companies to strike a balance between leveraging AI capabilities and maintaining authentic, ethical relationships with their customers.