Salesforce Announces Agentforce 360 as Enterprise AI Competition Intensifies

Salesforce has unveiled a significant update to its AI agent platform as it continues to court enterprise customers in an increasingly competitive artificial intelligence market.

The customer relationship management giant introduced the latest version, Agentforce 360, on Monday ahead of its annual Dreamforce conference, which begins on October 14. The new platform includes enhanced ways to instruct AI agents using text, a more powerful environment for building and deploying agents, and deeper integration with Slack, among other features.

New AI Agent Prompting with "Agent Script"

A key highlight of Agentforce 360 is the introduction of Agent Script, a new prompting tool that helps users fine-tune the behaviour of their AI agents. Launching in beta this November, Agent Script enables enterprises to program flexible "if/then" logic into their agents, allowing them to respond more naturally to dynamic customer interactions rather than following rigid workflows.

These new AI agents leverage advanced "reasoning" models — systems designed to think before responding rather than predict responses based on previous data patterns. Salesforce confirmed that Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google Gemini are powering these reasoning-based agents.

Agentforce Builder and Vibes

Alongside Agent Script, Salesforce introduced Agentforce Builder, a tool that allows users to build, test, and deploy AI agents from a single interface. Set to enter beta in November, the Builder integrates with Agentforce Vibes, an enterprise-grade "vibe coding" tool Salesforce revealed earlier this month. Together, they streamline the development of AI workflows tailored to different departments.

Deepening Slack Integration

The company also announced an expanded connection between Agentforce and Slack. Starting this month, Salesforce's core apps — including Agentforce Sales, IT, and HR — will appear directly inside Slack, with broader rollouts planned through early 2026.

Slack itself is piloting an upgraded version of Slackbot, transforming it from a simple chatbot into a personalised AI assistant that learns from user interactions to deliver intelligent suggestions and insights.

In the longer term, Salesforce envisions Slack evolving into a full-fledged enterprise search tool, with connectors for Gmail, Outlook, and Dropbox expected to launch in early 2026.

Competing in a Crowded Enterprise AI Market

Salesforce's announcement arrives at a pivotal time for the enterprise AI landscape. Major tech companies are racing to embed generative AI into their offerings, while many organisations continue to struggle to justify the cost and implementation challenges of such tools.

Just last week, Google introduced Gemini Enterprise, a suite of AI products for building enterprise-grade AI agents. The offering already counts Figma, Klarna, and Virgin Voyages among its early adopters.

Meanwhile, Anthropic has gained traction with its Claude Enterprise platform, announcing a partnership with consulting firm Deloitte to bring the Claude chatbot to over 500,000 employees worldwide — its largest enterprise deal to date. A day later, Anthropic revealed a strategic partnership with IBM, further strengthening its enterprise presence.

Salesforce Claims Market Leadership

Salesforce reports that Agentforce now serves 12,000 customers, a figure it claims is significantly higher than its competitors'. Early adopters of Agentforce 360 include Lennar, Adecco, and Pearson.

However, despite the growing excitement around AI for enterprise productivity, challenges remain. A recent MIT study revealed that 95% of enterprise AI pilots fail before reaching full-scale deployment, as many organisations still struggle to demonstrate tangible returns on AI investments.