I had the privilege of attending this year’s Salesforce Dreamforce event in San Francisco, accompanied by my colleagues, Tom Sjöberg (Director, Business Change Management) and Taru Ohvo (Senior Solution Specialist).

While I was aware of its significance, with notable figures like Matthew McConaughey and Foo Fighters in attendance, you can’t truly comprehend the scale and impact of the event until you actually go there.

What is Dreamforce?

Dreamforce, an annual event inaugurated in 2003, serves as a premier global gathering that unites professionals hailing from diverse corners of the world. This monumental event fosters an environment where professionals convene, establish connections, exchange insights, celebrate their achievements, and delve into the realm of cutting-edge technology.

For 2023, Dreamforce pivoted its primary focus towards a transformative theme: artificial intelligence (AI). The staggering attendance figures tell a compelling tale, with over 40, 000 participants converging upon this global stage in person. Dreamforce also featured a meticulously curated selection of over 1,400 breakout sessions and knowledge-sharing opportunities.

Key takeaways and my top five picks

Given that the emphasis of the event was directed towards artificial intelligence, AI-centric themes were implemented across all the Salesforce cloud platforms and user groups. Whether you are an end user working in Service Cloud or a developer working behind the scenes, continuous AI-driven innovations were on display, poised to enhance your work experience.

Salesforce adopts a human-centric approach that underscores the capacity of AI to elevate worker productivity and streamline repetitive tasks. It is essential to present AI as an asset that complements, rather than supplants, human labour, facilitating faster workflows and increased job satisfaction.

One of the most significant announcements at Dreamforce ‘23 was the introduction of Einstein 1, which encompasses various features, such as Einstein Copilot Studio, Prompt Builder, Skill Builder, Einstein for Developers and more.

Einstein Copilot

Einstein Copilot is seamlessly integrated into the user interface of any Salesforce application, residing in the side panel. Users can engage with this conversational AI assistant in natural language, allowing them to select or deselect follow-up actions based on data. For example, Einstein Copilot can create quickly a summary of a customer and the Elisa products that they utilise.

Prompt Builder

Prompt Builder empowers administrators to craft prompt templates and determine how these prompts are grounded in Salesforce data. These prompts can be applied to fields or email templates and can incorporate code or workflows. For instance, rather than composing lengthy emails manually, users can leverage prompt templates that provide guidelines for Einstein to compose emails on their behalf. Code and workflows can fetch valuable data to enhance the email content.

Einstein for Developers

Einstein for Developers represents a generative AI coding tool tailored exclusively for Salesforce-specific coding languages. Utilizing CodeGen, Salesforce’s open-source large language model, it transforms simple prompts into executable code.

Einstein-Generated Flows

Einstein-Generated Flows expedite the creation of flows by enabling users to input their requirements in natural language, watching as the AI translates them into functional flows.

Einstein in Unified Knowledge

Einstein in Unified Knowledge eliminates the need to read through records manually when seeking relevant articles. Einstein Unified Knowledge enables end users and customers to search the knowledge base using natural language queries, making information more accessible. Supplementary sources, such as a company intranet, can also be integrated with Einstein Unified Knowledge.

Want to see some of these new features in action? Check out the Einstein Copilot demo on YouTube

Summary

Once again, Dreamforce proved to be a veritable treasure trove of insights, announcements, and developments. We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in history, particularly in the realm of AI.

It comes as no surprise that the focal point of Salesforce’s premier event, Dreamforce, revolved around AI. Numerous intriguing features were unveiled, leaving us eagerly anticipating their implementation.

In conclusion, I consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to attend this year’s Dreamforce event, and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed partners – Salesforce, Biit, and Columbia Road – for their exceptional care and support during my first visit to Dreamforce.