Skeptics of digitalization became believers with the help of a virus: in 2020 and 2021 they accelerated the essential modernization, and would have continued in 2022 if it had not been for two exogenous factors: geopolitical turbulence and the rise of inflation, phenomena connected by the rise in interest rates. The former multiply, while inflation begins to ease timidly and depending on where. The author of this synthesis, Enrique Polo de Lara, is general director of the software giant Salesforce in Spain and Portugal. He clarifies that “the expectations for 2023 and 2024 were less optimistic, but let's not be confused: this information technology industry continues to grow and, above all, it continues to innovate, which is the most important thing.”
Such a description (and its epilogue) allow us to understand why this company, which is worth 215 billion on the stock market and is accustomed to growing at an annual average of more than 20% or more, in this fiscal year 2024 (which will close on January 31) It will likely have to settle for considerably less, according to analysts. "The current situation requires us to fight for growth to be profitable, while three years ago, the two things went hand in hand." Precisely in these circumstances, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence forces us to rethink Salesforce's strategy. The decision-making scenario in Spanish companies has changed: “If I speak to the CEO of a client, and I speak to many, they all agree that their business is going well, but they would not be able to predict how they will be in twelve months.” ”.
This has a direct consequence: the projects are smaller or are annual instead of multi-year, because the important thing is that the impact on the business is seen. And the sooner, the better. “At least in Spain and Portugal we experience it like this, with growth above the world average and we believe we can continue in that trend. Perhaps it is because Iberian businessmen are more accustomed to managing uncertainty, unlike those in other markets; This makes them more pragmatic.”
In relation to artificial intelligence, the chronicler allows himself a hypothesis. There is so much noise about generative AI that it has overshadowed the value of predictive AI, which has been working for years and with which companies are reaping material rewards; On the other hand, with generative AI, almost no one is clear about monetization and when they will recover the investment. Polo de Lara points out: “Predictive AI is economically viable and there are no reasons to leave it aside. Some use cases are more attractive than others and we know this because we have been working with AI since 2017. But that intuition has another side: clients for whom AI (predictive) was a low priority, have now placed it on their agenda and are enabling budgets.”
Salesforce sees itself as a strategic partner “in almost all the processes in which AI, in any of its variants, will create value in companies that look into a world that surprises them and from which they wonder where to go.” guides them exactly. They are right now choosing partners for that path and the most positive thing is that AI has taken the lead and is here to stay.” Of the various existing formulas, Salesforce opts for the one that seeks to incorporate generative AI into its business applications. Without improvising: “We are validating these models with real clients,” warns Enrique Polo.
The results of the strategy cannot be immediate. In early 2024, with the use cases validated, it will be known how much each client is interested in generative AI, but it is already expected to act as a lever for profitable growth well into the next fiscal year.
