{"id":90669,"date":"2025-10-20T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=90669"},"modified":"2025-10-22T06:55:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:55:46","slug":"the-agentic-wave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/the-agentic-wave\/","title":{"rendered":"The Agentic Wave\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s Note:<\/em><\/strong> This is a foreword from the latest issue of <\/em>Salesforce Futures Magazine<\/em><\/a>, which explores the ideas that have shaped the Futures team\u2019s thinking about the Agentic Enterprise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eighteen months ago, Salesforce Futures debuted Futures <\/em>with our issue on Personal AI Agents<\/em><\/a>. Subsequent issues looked at Agents at Work<\/em><\/a> and Inventing with Agents<\/em><\/a>. The magazine began in response to a gap we saw in the conversation around AI: too much hype, too much doom, and not enough clear-eyed imagination and practical analysis of the implications of what\u2019s next for business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since the launch of Agentforce at Dreamforce just over a year ago, things have changed dramatically.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When we began exploring agents, it felt early. Since the launch of Agentforce at Dreamforce just over a year ago<\/a>, things have changed dramatically. Today, agents\u200c<\/a> \u2014 \u200celegantly defined by Simon Willison as \u2018a system that uses tools in a loop to pursue a goal\u2019 \u2014 are everywhere. And what Salesforce Chief AI Scientist Silvio Savarese calls a series of \u201cboring breakthroughs\u201d is making powerful, value-delivering AI available to everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wisps of inspiration we started exploring in 2024 have now built into a towering Agentic Wave that is crashing down on businesses everywhere, creating new opportunities and new questions. We\u2019ve framed this issue of Futures<\/em> around that theme and three key areas of focus: agentics, robotics, and the practice of doing futures work in this space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we\u2019ve shifted to a single annual issue of Futures<\/em>, we\u2019ve continued publishing on the Salesforce Newsroom. This issue brings together the highlights from that work, along with new pieces and contributions from several brilliant Salesforce colleagues. Together, they capture the ideas that have most shaped our thinking about the agentic enterprise<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agentics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When everyone has agents, where will real, durable competitive advantage come from? The winners won\u2019t be those with the most automation, but those with the best learning loops between people and machines, the most adaptable autonomic core, and the deepest customer-centricity. Leaders who keep learning won\u2019t just drive productivity\u200c \u2014 \u200cthey\u2019ll rewire their businesses into agentic enterprises that build lasting relationships.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can\u2019t navigate new waters with old maps. As Peter Schwartz says, \u201cIf you get your map wrong, you do the wrong thing.\u201d We need new frameworks, stories, and mental models to make sense of the terrain. Think of this issue as a sketchbook of emerging contours\u200c \u2014 \u200ca starting point for the maps we\u2019ll need in a world of agents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We introduce the Autonomic Core<\/strong>, a model for reimagining your business around the balance between automated and intentional functions. This frame, drawn from the human body, offers a fresh way to think about how your organization\u2019s architecture might evolve in the agentic era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished AI Architect Max Kirby explores how agentic systems can amplify human ingenuity. Silvio Savarese outlines our AI Research team\u2019s concept of Enterprise General Intelligence<\/strong> and its Capability\u2013Consistency Matrix<\/strong>, a useful framework for evaluating AI\u2019s utility in the enterprise. And Melissa Forbes offers a provocative look at how agents are empowering nonprofits to scale their impact in sustainability and disaster response.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we revisit Personal AI Futures<\/strong>, grading our predictions from the first issue of Futures<\/em> and updating our perspective on what\u2019s next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n