We’ve heard it from a number of different analyst sources and it’s being talked about all across the web right now – 2017 is the year of cognitive computing or artificial intelligence (AI). The blockbuster partnership announced this week between Salesforce and IBM further validates that AI is more than just the next marketing buzzword to add to my technology marketing repertoire. While the subject of cognitive computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are not new (think 1950’s science fiction movies), the technology has evolved rapidly in the past few years, and new AI startups and solutions are emerging every day!
Most likely you’re in the same position as many other business and technology professionals. According to a November 2016 Forrester report, 58% of them are researching AI, but only 12% are using AI solutions today. Haven’t done your homework yet on Salesforce Einstein? I found this ZDNet article and the product diagram in it that illustrates the AI Platform Services and Data Services layers to be incredibly helpful to understand where the IBM Watson solution fits in.
As a Salesforce and IBM partner there are a lot of questions we still have, and more details about how Einstein and Watson will bring new AI innovations to CRM and Salesforce users will emerge over the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, I’d encourage you to watch the Salesforce Live broadcast with Marc Benioff from March 7th to see what he had to say about their product roadmap, this new partnership, and more.
Top Stories of the Week on the Salesforce, IBM Partnership
While the details around the Salesforce and IBM partnership are still a little cloudy (sorry, my attempt at a lame pun), here’s a roundup of top stories with others’ perspectives on this exciting news!
Fortune (great interview with Benioff and Rometty): IBM, Salesforce Strike Global Partnership on Cloud, AI
Wall Street Journal: IBM, Salesforce Agree to Partner on Artificial Intelligence
TechCrunch: IBM and Salesforce partner to sell Watson and Einstein
Business Insider: Salesforce will be using IBM Watson to make its Einstein AI service even smarter
Stay tuned for more blogs on the topic of AI and Salesforce Einstein as this partnership unfolds!
