{"id":90116,"date":"2025-10-13T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=90116"},"modified":"2025-10-16T07:34:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:34:48","slug":"ai-agents-free-will-determinism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/ai-agents-free-will-determinism\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Free Will Should Your AI Agents Have?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-shadow-box is-style-takeaways\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-471ecb11ca02c2e7ea813f9dd3857484\" id=\"h-key-takeaways\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>The key to successful enterprise AI agent adoption is hybrid reasoning <\/em>\u2014<em> striking a deliberate balance between strict, deterministic rules for safety and compliance and nondeterministic autonomy for creative problem-solving.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Achieving this balance requires a design-first process where autonomy is treated not as a binary choice but as a capacity that is scaled safely. Companies must start small, use guardrails, and only increase an agent&#8217;s freedom as it proves reliable, ensuring trustable autonomy.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The promise of a faster, smarter enterprise is becoming reality, as organizations embrace <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/agentforce\/ai-agents\/?d=cta-body-promo-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AI agents<\/a> that not only follow instructions but also reason, act, and even learn autonomously. This shift isn\u2019t incremental\u200c \u2014 \u200cit\u2019s transformative, changing how decisions are made and how work gets done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the rapid growth of AI capabilities has been undeniably impressive, building AI agents for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/agentforce\/agentic-enterprise\/?d=cta-body-promo-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Agentic Enterprises<\/a> requires careful thought. Unchecked autonomy can be risky. One rogue response from an agent can draw regulatory scrutiny or cause reputational harm to the brand. But overcontrol can strangle innovation, reducing agents to glorified <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/agentforce\/chatbot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chatbots<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Balancing autonomy with accountability\u200c \u2014 \u200cwhere independence fuels discovery but guardrails ensure accountability\u200c \u2014 \u200chas become one of the central challenges when deploying AI agents at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AI designers refer to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/agentforce\/five-levels-of-determinism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">determinism<\/a>\u201d as the strict rules that ensure consistent customer experiences, predictable business results, and legal and regulatory compliance. \u201cNondeterminism,\u201d on the other hand, refers to the constructive autonomy that enables creative problem-solving and the emergence of new ideas and insights.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, a logistics agent may find that rerouting shipments through a less-obvious distribution hub can shorten delivery times. Or a product development agent could surface an unexpected feature idea from customer feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Companies on the path to becoming agentic enterprises have learned that an effective AI deployment requires striking that balance\u200c \u2014 \u200cdeliberately calibrating agent autonomy to provide true value while maintaining the guardrails that protect what matters most.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Companies on the path to becoming agentic enterprises have learned that an effective AI deployment requires striking that balance\u200c \u2014 \u200cdeliberately calibrating agent autonomy to provide true value while maintaining the guardrails that protect what matters most. It takes work to align business goals with technical design and risk tolerance. But the organizations that crack this code are building competitive advantages their rivals will spend years trying to match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-balancing-safety-and-flexibility\"><strong>Balancing safety and flexibility<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-media-wrapping-container\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>At Salesforce, the strict limits on AI agents are called \u201cbaseline non-configurable capabilities,\u2019\u2019 according to Rob Katz, who co-leads the Responsible AI &amp; Tech team inside the company\u2019s Office of Ethical and Humane Use. These are hardwired protections\u200c \u2014 \u200clike blocking offensive language or rejecting sexually explicit prompts\u200c \u2014 \u200cthat apply no matter how a customer configures the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignright is-type-video is-provider-vidyard wp-block-embed-vidyard\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" async src=\"https:\/\/play.vidyard.com\/embed\/v4.js\"><\/script><img decoding=\"async\"  style=\"width: 100%; margin: auto; display: block;\"  class=\"vidyard-player-embed\"  src=\"https:\/\/play.vidyard.com\/4Hdh1YNvB4njadUHu6sdGQ.jpg\"  data-uuid=\"4Hdh1YNvB4njadUHu6sdGQ\"  data-v=\"4\"  data-type=\"inline\"  data-width=\"500\"  data-height=\"281\"\/>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Such protections aren\u2019t optional, Katz stresses. Customers can\u2019t edit them and can\u2019t even see them. Salesforce bakes in other non-configurable safety layers as well, from content filters to hidden safety prompts. Additionally, all interaction data is retained for a maximum of 30 days before permanent deletion and is never used for model training or commercial purposes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And before agents ever go live, customers can stress-test them in a so-called sandbox, using synthetic data, and conduct adversarial \u201cred team\u201d exercises designed to probe for weak spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond that ethical AI baseline, however, companies can fine-tune the agents as they see fit. They decide which jobs to entrust to an agent, how much improvisation to allow, and when to escalate matters to a human.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Katz frames it as a shared responsibility: Salesforce provides the immutable floor of trust and safety while customers calibrate the freedom their agents exercise in line with their own priorities and risk tolerance.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-art-of-hybrid-reasoning\"><strong>The art of hybrid reasoning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To understand the balance between determinism and free will, it\u2019s necessary to recognize what makes AI agents fundamentally different from traditional enterprise software. Unlike conventional systems, which follow fixed rules and produce identical outputs for identical inputs, AI agents are inherently nondeterministic. They reason, generate plans, and make decisions based on probabilities and context. Their behavior is flexible but not always predictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These probabilistic agents, according to Jayesh Govindarajan, the EVP who leads AI Engineering at Salesforce, need a \u201cdeterministic backbone.\u201d He defines this as a system of data, business logic, workflows, and guardrails that keeps agents meaningful, secure, and trustworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Looking across implementations, there&#8217;s a very clear bimodal distribution of agent workloads.<\/p>\n<cite>Jayesh Govindarajan, EVP, AI Engineering, Salesforce<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLooking across implementations, there&#8217;s a very clear bimodal distribution of agent workloads,\u201d Govindarajan said. On one end sit creative, discovery-oriented tasks that have multiple right answers. At the other end are workloads with zero tolerance for error that must follow specific steps in precise order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same agent often needs both modes. Govindarajan describes a large ecommerce client whose shopping agent does double duty: It must be creative when recommending products but rigid when answering questions about order status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Govindarajan refers to this blend of structure and flexibility as \u201chybrid reasoning\u201d \u2014 giving companies dials to turn, choosing when an agent should behave like a creative collaborator versus when it must follow deterministic rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"more-from-block more-from-block--2 alignfull wp-block-newsroom-moreontopic\">\n\t<div class=\"more-from-block__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"more-from-block__title\">Related<\/h4>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"more-from-block__cards more-from-block__cards--2\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\n<article\t\t\titemscope=\"\"\n\t\titemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Article\"\n\t\tdata-card-id=\"93054\"\n\t\tclass=\"content-card content-card--large-inline is-entire-area-clickable content-card--is-boxed\"\n\t\t\tdata-clickable-area-link=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/linked-content\/introducing-the-new-agentexchange-one-unified-marketplace-for-the-agentic-enterprise\/\"\n\t>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content-card__image-container\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t<img width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/Introducing-the-new-AgentExchange.png?w=1024\" class=\"content-card__image\" alt=\"View of the new AgentExchange marketplace\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/Introducing-the-new-AgentExchange.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/Introducing-the-new-AgentExchange.png?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, 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content-card__content-container--style-\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 itemprop=\"headline\" class=\"content-card__title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/tdx-2026-live-blog\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"content-card__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLive from TDX\t\t\t\t<\/a>\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemprop=\"readTime\" class=\"content-card__read-time\">\n\t\t\t\t1 min read\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/article>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<noscript>\n<div class=\"pagination-fallback\">\n\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90116\/page\/2\/?bc=OTH#section-title\">\n\t\t\tOlder Posts\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/noscript>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-building-trust-through-design\"><strong>Building trust through design<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The companies mastering this balance don&#8217;t stumble into success\u200c \u2014 \u200cthey follow deliberate processes that align technical capabilities with business needs. The process starts before any code gets written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first step, says Matt Fisher, a Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP who&#8217;s CTO of the organization\u2019s Salesforce tech platform, is deciding the \u201cpersonality\u201d you want the agent to have. In other words, what is its interaction style? \u201cDo you want it to be structured and concise?\u201d Fisher said, \u201cor more free-flowing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next challenge, he says, is scope: What kinds of questions should it be able to answer? Should it stick to topics tightly grounded in enterprise data or venture into broader territory that invites improvisation and less-predictable responses?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m seeing executives say, \u2018I want my agent to have total freedom,\u2019\u201d&nbsp; Fisher said. \u201cThen they hear from legal and compliance and then they\u2019re like, \u2018No, not so much.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Louise Barrere, Senior Managing Director of the Center for Advanced AI at Accenture, sees the same tension play out in her client work. Barrere takes customer teams through risk analyses, drafting guidebooks before development begins. Most of the effort focuses on mapping which business functions can tolerate creative interpretation and which demand unwavering precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt means deciding when you need more deterministic behavior,\u201d Barrere said. \u201cIs this an area where there are very rigid policies in place? Are we in a high regulatory environment where we need strong guardrails? Where do we require 100% accuracy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The stakes get higher when humans aren\u2019t monitoring every interaction. \u201cIf you&#8217;re going down a path where you have no human in the loop,\u2019\u2019 Barrere said, \u201cthat would be a scenario where you\u2019d want more of that deterministic approach.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But she pushes back against reflexive overcontrol. \u201cThere are a lot of scenarios when you would want a fully autonomous approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Barrere has seen clients start with broad autonomy in internal pilots then dial up guardrails before exposing agents to customers. Claims-processing systems, for example, may let agents handle small-dollar reimbursements freely but require human sign-off once transactions cross a certain threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide cluster-content has-background is-style-default\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-building-the-agentic-enterprise\">Building the Agentic Enterprise<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large prevent-download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/13\/agentic-enterprise-announcement\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Agentic Enterprise Announcement\" class=\"wp-image-90165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=768&amp;h=432 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=1024&amp;h=576 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=264&amp;h=149 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=500&amp;h=281 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=678&amp;h=381 678w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=150&amp;h=84 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=314&amp;h=177 314w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise.png?w=343&amp;h=193 343w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group feature-card is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-welcome-to-the-agentic-enterprise-with-agentforce-360-salesforce-elevates-human-potential-in-the-age-of-ai\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/13\/agentic-enterprise-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Welcome to the Agentic Enterprise: With Agentforce 360, Salesforce Elevates Human Potential in the Age of AI<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group secondary-card is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56a869c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large prevent-download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/14\/openai-partnership-expansion-announcement\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Salesforce and OpenAI announce strategic partnership expansion.\" class=\"wp-image-90265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=768&amp;h=432 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=1024&amp;h=576 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=264&amp;h=149 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=500&amp;h=281 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=678&amp;h=381 678w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=150&amp;h=84 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=314&amp;h=177 314w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Salesforce-and-OpenAI-announce-partnership-to-bring-Enterprise-Intelligence-to-ChatGPT.png?w=343&amp;h=193 343w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-salesforce-and-openai-partner-across-enterprise-work-and-commerce\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/14\/openai-partnership-expansion-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salesforce and OpenAI Partner Across Enterprise Work and Commerce<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group secondary-card is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56a869c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large prevent-download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/14\/williams-sonoma-inc-agentforce-customer-support\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Deploys Agentforce 360 for Customer Support\" class=\"wp-image-90242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=768&amp;h=432 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=1024&amp;h=576 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=264&amp;h=149 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=500&amp;h=281 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=678&amp;h=381 678w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=150&amp;h=84 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=314&amp;h=177 314w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Williams-Sonoma-Inc.-Deploys-Salesforce-Agentforce-Across-Its-Brand-Portfolio-Elevating-its-Premium-Customer-Support-to-the-Next-Level.png?w=343&amp;h=193 343w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-williams-sonoma-inc-deploys-agentforce-360-across-its-brand-portfolio\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/14\/williams-sonoma-inc-agentforce-customer-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Deploys Agentforce 360 Across Its Brand Portfolio<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group secondary-card is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56a869c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large prevent-download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/14\/anthropic-regulated-industries-partnership-expansion-announcement\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=1024\" alt=\"View of user interacting with Claude in Slack\" class=\"wp-image-90286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=768&amp;h=432 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=1024&amp;h=576 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=264&amp;h=149 264w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=500&amp;h=281 500w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=678&amp;h=381 678w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=150&amp;h=84 150w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=314&amp;h=177 314w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Anthropic-Brings-Full-Salesforce-Apps-Into-Claude-and-Drives-Trusted-Industry-Tailored-AI-Agents-Experiences-in-Agentforce.png?w=343&amp;h=193 343w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-anthropic-and-salesforce-expand-strategic-partnership\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/14\/anthropic-regulated-industries-partnership-expansion-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anthropic and Salesforce Expand Strategic Partnership<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-start-small-and-scale-safely\"><strong>Start small\u200c \u2014 \u200cand scale safely<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kathy Baxter, Principal Architect for Responsible AI at Salesforce, argues that the safest way to navigate the tension between determinism and nondeterminism is to start small. Successful companies stage their rollouts, starting with low-stakes deployments and keeping humans in the loop.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They grant more autonomy only as agents prove themselves. \u201cDon\u2019t treat autonomy as a binary choice,\u201d Baxter advised. \u201cTreat this as a capacity you can scale safely. Enforce deterministic guardrails at the point of action, instrument everything, and move autonomy forward only when you have evidence it\u2019s working.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Otherwise, she said, there\u2019s risk of unauthorized financial transfers, regulatory violations, or cascading failures. But the opposite risk is just as real: agents so tightly constrained they\u2019re reduced to apologizing \u2014 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I can\u2019t answer that question\u201d \u2014 at every turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCompanies need to be forever fine-tuning,\u201d said Deloitte\u2019s Fisher, adjusting that dial between too loose and too strict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Companies need to be forever fine-tuning.<\/p>\n<cite>Matt Fisher, Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting LLP<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-reliable-results\"><strong>Reliable results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An agent may be free to take action up to a certain point, but it must know when to hand a decision back to a human. This layering of technical guardrails with hybrid reasoning is what lets companies scale autonomy responsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re talking about trustable autonomy,\u201d said Mick Costigan, who heads Salesforce Futures<em>.<\/em> Different terms for the same idea: Agents are creative within their boundaries but tightly governed where they\u2019re not.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy team loves an agent\u2019s ability to imagine and brainstorm,\u201d Costigan said. \u201cIt\u2019s brilliant at that. But you need to pair it with tools that give you control, that give you determinism, that give you a reliable result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, success won\u2019t come from choosing freedom or control alone. Successful agentic enterprises will learn how to choreograph both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-go-deeper\"><strong>Go deeper:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Learn how developers are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/ai-agent-artisans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">evolving into AI artisans<\/a> who refine autonomous AI agents for business needs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Read more about the unveiling of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/trusted-ai-foundation-agentic-enterprise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salesforce\u2019s foundation for building trusted AI<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Download a five-step <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/blog\/agent-and-application-lifecycle-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">playbook to tackle ALM for AI agents and apps<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways The promise of a faster, smarter enterprise is becoming reality, as organizations embrace AI agents that not only follow instructions but also reason, act, and even learn autonomously. This shift isn\u2019t incremental\u200c \u2014 \u200cit\u2019s transformative, changing how decisions are made and how work gets done. While the rapid growth of AI capabilities has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":90123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sf_subhead":"","sf_i18n_disclaimer":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"alternateThumbnailId":0,"sf_product_cta_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"sf_content_type":[1730],"sf_theme":[21184],"sf_topic":[21212,20528,21187,1791,1732,1723],"sf_product":[],"sf_industry":[],"sf_role":[],"sf_multimedia_asset":[],"sf_location":[1798],"sf_collection":[21200],"sf_visibility":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-90116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","sf_content_type-feature-stories","sf_theme-agentic-ai","sf_topic-agentic-enterprise","sf_topic-agents","sf_topic-ai","sf_topic-dreamforce","sf_topic-future-of-work","sf_topic-trust","sf_location-global","sf_collection-fy26-q3"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - 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