{"slug": "salesforce-unveils-aiforce-platform-ceo-benioff-calls-microsoft-copilot-the-new", "title": "Salesforce unveils AIforce platform, CEO Benioff calls Microsoft Copilot ‘the new Microsoft Clippy’", "summary": "Salesforce unveiled AIforce, a \"live interface layer\" connecting its CRM data, workflows, and governance frameworks to external AI systems, at its Dreamforce conference in San Francisco on September 15, with CEO Marc Benioff calling Microsoft Copilot \"the new Clippy.\" The platform launched with three components: Claudeforce, built with Anthropic's Claude AI, entered public beta with 37 prebuilt sales skills and a zero data retention policy; Slackforce connects Salesforce tools into Slack workflows; and Agentforce Coworker operates inside Salesforce's Lightning interface. Salesforce said Agentforce Coworker reached 100,000 activations in its first 35 days and the broader Agentforce suite crossed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue, while Salesforce stock (CRM) closed at $255.65 on September 15, up roughly 34% over the previous month.", "body_md": "# Salesforce unveils AIforce platform, CEO Benioff calls Microsoft Copilot ‘the new Microsoft Clippy’\n\nSalesforce's new AI integration layer connects its CRM data with external AI tools while Benioff takes a pointed swipe at the competition\n\n[Salesforce](https://cryptobriefing.com/markets/salesforce/) dropped its biggest product announcement in years at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco on September 15, rolling out a new platform called AIforce that aims to turn the company’s sprawling CRM ecosystem into a plug-and-play layer for external AI tools. CEO Marc Benioff used the occasion to roast [Microsoft](https://cryptobriefing.com/markets/microsoft/)’s Copilot as “the new Clippy.”\n\nClippy was the animated paperclip that popped up uninvited in Microsoft Office, offering help nobody asked for and answers nobody trusted. Benioff’s point is that Copilot lacks reliable data grounding.\n\n## What AIforce actually does\n\nAIforce is described as a “live interface layer” that bridges Salesforce’s data, workflows, and governance frameworks with outside AI systems. The key selling point: users don’t need to be inside the traditional Salesforce interface to access its capabilities. The platform launched with three core components working in tandem.\n\nFirst, there’s Claudeforce, built in partnership with Anthropic’s Claude AI. It entered public beta with 37 prebuilt sales skills and a zero data retention policy, meaning conversations and queries aren’t stored by the AI model after processing.\n\nSecond is Slackforce, which connects Salesforce’s tools directly into Slack workflows. Given that Salesforce acquired Slack in 2020, this integration has been a long time coming.\n\n### AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing.\n\nDaily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy.\n\nThird is Agentforce Coworker, designed to operate within Salesforce’s Lightning interface. This is the AI agent that lives inside the platform itself, handling tasks alongside human users.\n\n## The numbers behind the hype\n\nAgentforce Coworker racked up 100,000 activations in its first 35 days after launch. The broader Agentforce product suite has crossed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue.\n\nSalesforce’s stock (CRM) closed at $255.65 on September 15, reflecting roughly a 34% gain over the previous month. The investor day, timed strategically alongside Dreamforce, focused heavily on AI revenue prospects.\n\n## The Benioff vs. Microsoft rivalry intensifies\n\nMicrosoft has poured billions into OpenAI and embedded Copilot across its entire product suite, from Office to Dynamics 365. Salesforce’s counter-strategy with AIforce is notably different: instead of building one monolithic AI assistant, it’s creating an open integration layer that works with multiple AI providers. Claudeforce uses Anthropic’s Claude, but the platform also promises compatibility with ChatGPT and other environments.\n\nBy emphasizing zero data retention in Claudeforce and positioning AIforce as a governed data layer, Salesforce is making a trust argument as much as a technology argument. Benioff has also dismissed narratives about AI undermining existing SaaS structures as “crazy nonsense,” asserting that AIforce heralds a new era for Salesforce’s user experience without undermining existing structures.\n\n**Disclosure:** This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our\n\n[Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/salesforce-unveils-aiforce-platform-ceo-benioff-calls-microsoft-copilot-the-new", "canonical_source": "https://cryptobriefing.com/salesforce-aiforce-benioff-criticizes-microsoft/", "published_at": "2026-09-18 16:23:12+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-18 16:27:38.532467+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-agents", "ai-products", "artificial-intelligence", "generative-ai", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["Salesforce", "Marc Benioff", "AIforce", "Microsoft", "Copilot", "Anthropic", "Claude", "Agentforce"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/salesforce-unveils-aiforce-platform-ceo-benioff-calls-microsoft-copilot-the-new", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/salesforce-unveils-aiforce-platform-ceo-benioff-calls-microsoft-copilot-the-new.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/salesforce-unveils-aiforce-platform-ceo-benioff-calls-microsoft-copilot-the-new.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/salesforce-unveils-aiforce-platform-ceo-benioff-calls-microsoft-copilot-the-new.jsonld"}}