Takeaways from Salesforce Dreamforce 2018: The Final Wave of AI is Just 1–2 Years Away, Plus the Pressure for Change in Social Media

Executive Summary

The Coresight Research team attended the Dreamforce software conference and analyst day hosted by software firm Salesforce, which was held September 25–28 in San Francisco. Our takeaways from this event include:

• Salesforce is focused on helping its users deliver seamless experiences through a 360-degree view of their customers.
• By helping people to rethink the world and core nonbusiness elements such as citizenship and governments, Salesforce can eventually impact much more than just businesses.
• The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI)comprises four waves and we are currently in the third wave in which digitalized real-world data contribute to AI’s development.
• Tech platforms, especially social media firms, are in an “arms race” for consumers’ attention and in doing so are pitching supercomputers against the human brain. Campaigners for more humane technology are arguing against this trend.