Salesforce CEO claims Microsoft is in panic mode: "Copilot is a flop because Microsoft lacks the data and enterprise security models to create real corporate intelligence — Clippy 2.0, anyone?"

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Salesforce CEO throws a lethal jab at Copilot agents, claiming Microsoft lacks the data to create real corporate intelligence.

Marc Benioff, chief executive officer of Salesforce Inc., speaks during a keynote at the 2024 Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, California, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
Marc Benioff, chief executive officer of Salesforce Inc. (Image credit: Getty Images | Bloomberg)

What you need to know

  • Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently claimed Microsoft has done a tremendous disservice to the AI industry with Copilot, which he refers to as "just the new Microsoft Clippy."
  • Microsoft announced its plan to add support for creating autonomous agents to Copilot Studio, potentially giving Salesforce's Agentforce a run for its money. 
  • Benioff indicated Microsoft's Copilot agents' announcement illustrates panic mode, further highlighting that Copilot is a flop because Microsoft lacks the data to create real corporate intelligence while touting Agentforce's excellence in the field.

The generative AI landscape is rapidly gaining traction, with major tech corporations racing to capitalize on the hype. Microsoft is considered a major player in the space owing to its early investment and adoption of OpenAI's technology across its tech stack.

Last week, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff threw a lethal jab at Microsoft, claiming the tech giant has done a "tremendous disservice" to the industry while referring to Copilot as the new Microsoft Clippy. In the special podcast episode dubbed Salesforce Can Beat Microsoft in AI, Benioff discussed its AI efforts, including its Agentforce offering designed to help build customized AI agents. The CEO claimed Salesforce is probably the largest AI enterprise supplier in the world, with the capability of doing "a couple of trillion AI transactions per week."

Interestingly, Microsoft recently announced that Copilot Studio will soon support the creation of autonomous agents. Like Salesforce's Agentforce offering, Microsoft's Copilot agents will help automate tasks across IT, marketing, sales, customer service, and finance.

Following Microsoft's announcement of its Copilot agents offering, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff took to X (formerly Twitter) to throw jabs:

"Microsoft rebranding Copilot as ‘agents’? That’s panic mode. Let’s be real—Copilot’s a flop because Microsoft lacks the data, metadata, and enterprise security models to create real corporate intelligence. That is why Copilot is inaccurate, spills corporate data, and forces customers to build their own LLMs. Clippy 2.0, anyone? Meanwhile, Agentforce is transforming businesses now. Agentforce doesn’t just handle tasks—it autonomously drives sales, service, marketing, analytics, and commerce. With data, LLMs, workflows, and security all integrated into a single Customer 360 platform: This is what AI was meant to be."

Benioff's comments on the Copilot agents' announcement have been received with mixed feelings. As highlighted by Prasad Bhojak on X: 

"I am quite surprised on this direct attack on Microsoft by Salesforce , it means there’s a distribution battle happening for mindshare . As a partner with both of these platforms, we dawn an agnostic hat to focus on value instead of increasing licensing or consumption."

Microsoft may have a Copilot problem

The new Copilot UI running in the Windows 11 app  (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

As you may know, Microsoft recently overhauled the Copilot experience across Windows, iOS, Android, and the web with a "warm and inviting" user interface, an immersive chat experience, and more. The massive update ships with next-gen AI features, including Copilot Vision buried behind Microsoft's $20 Copilot Pro monthly subscription. 

Following the recent update, several users have taken to social media, highlighting Copilot's degraded user experience, low-quality responses, and more:

"Is it just me or do y'all hate the new copilot update? The original layout was so good and the original voice was really good, the new update is so confusing and the new voices are annoying. I used to use Copilot for everything, and im talking everything. Until they bring back the old version i will be going back to ChatGPT."

OpenAI's ChatGPT continues to reign over Copilot on mobile, making it difficult for Microsoft to establish some ground on that front. The ChatGPT maker also shipped its AI-powered chatbot to Windows, 5 months after snubbing Microsoft for Apple despite its multi-billion dollar investment. While addressing the concerns, former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati indicated that the company shipped ChatGPT to macOS first because it prioritized where its clients are, potentially indicating that most of its user base uses Apple gadgets. 

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Kevin Okemwa
Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.