Salesforce’s Keith Block Is Still Cautious About AI

Salesforce COO Keith Block is as effusive as any sales executive when discussing Salesforce’s “amazing” culture or the potential of digital technology to reinvent businesses. But when it comes to the impact of artificial intelligence, Mr. Block is much more restrained. AI has significant promise, he says, but Salesforce is still in learning mode.

In an interview with The Information, Mr. Block says it’s too early to say how much growth Salesforce is getting from its main AI-powered product, Einstein, which uses sales leads to predict which customers are most likely to buy. Its main value is to get customers thinking about where AI fits into their business, he says.