Salesforce unveils AI adoption roadmap for businesses

Salesforce‘s new Agentic Maturity Model provides businesses with a strategic roadmap for implementing increasingly autonomous AI systems. As organizations navigate the transition from basic chatbots to fully orchestrated multi-agent systems, this framework offers a structured approach to scaling AI capabilities. The model addresses a critical need, as most business leaders recognize AI’s transformative potential but struggle with practical implementation strategies.

The big picture: Salesforce has developed a comprehensive blueprint to guide businesses through different stages of AI agent implementation, from basic chatbots to sophisticated multi-agent systems that can work collaboratively with humans.

Key details: The Agentic Maturity Model outlines five progressive levels of AI implementation that companies can advance through methodically.

• Level 1 focuses on chatbots and co-pilots, representing entry-level AI implementation.
• Level 2 advances to information retrieval agents with improved capabilities.
• Level 3 involves simple orchestration within a single domain.
• Level 4 encompasses complex orchestration across multiple domains.
• Level 5 represents the most advanced stage with full multi-agent orchestration and interoperability.

Why this matters: While 84% of CIOs believe AI will have internet-level significance for businesses, many organizations lack clear strategies for effectively deploying and scaling AI agents.

What they’re saying: “While agents can be deployed quickly, scaling them effectively across the business requires a thoughtful, phased approach,” explained Shibani Ahuja, Salesforce’s senior vice president of enterprise IT strategy.

• Ahuja emphasized that “understanding the progression of AI agent capabilities is crucial for long-term success and this framework provides a clear roadmap to help organizations move toward higher levels of AI maturity.”
• She further noted that “organizations must look beyond the technology and consider the broader organizational impact,” including data readiness, security, and workforce collaboration.

Practical guidance: The model provides specific recommendations for businesses looking to advance through each maturity level.

• To progress from level 0 to 1, companies should identify chatbot limitations and explore opportunities to improve outcomes with reasoning capabilities.
• Advancing from level 1 to 2 requires establishing broad governance frameworks with testing methods and allowing AI agents to autonomously perform tasks.

Real-world application: Insurance provider Alpine Intel and educational material publisher Wiley are already implementing Salesforce’s framework to enhance their AI capabilities.