HW Monitor Pulse: Dreamforce All

Welcome to the Pulse edition of the Monthly Monitor, where we spotlight key cultural moments shaping our work and society. This edition is all about Dreamforce 2024. We’re leveraging real-time media data to highlight how the event is not just unveiling groundbreaking advancements but also creating a platform for meaningful discussions on the true value of technology in both business and society. Our goal is to keep things fast, curious, and timely as we explore these pivotal moments. If you want to talk more about this and ways we can help, drop us an email:

Optimism Meets Skepticism

Responsible Governance

The New AI Frontier

Overall Takeaways from Dreamforce

AI-powered Google search

BLOOM

ChatGPT

Google search

Interacting with a large language model costs 10 times the power consumption of a standard Google search - roughly the equivalent of running a low-lumen LED light bulb for an hour.

Watt-hours of electricity per request

Power consumption of AI-powered Google search assessed by research firms New Street Research, which estimated 6.9 Wh per request, and Semi-Analysis, which estimated 8.9 Wh per request.

Alex de Vries

Phi Do, Los Angeles Times

Source: LA Times

Media landscape

Reporters to follow

Influencers to watch

Cool brand stories

The conversations reflected a sense of ambivalence, balancing excitement for its transformative potential in sales, marketing, commerce with serious concerns about its societal, ethical, and security implications.

In addition to tech innovation, leaders like Governor Gavin Newsom and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stressed the importance of establishing legal guardrails and responsibilities for AI development across the ecosystem.

Salesforce introduced Agentforce to address the limitations of tools like Microsoft Copilot. It enables customers to build AI agents using Salesforce metadata, automating tasks with improved accuracy and privacy, marking the next wave of AI innovation.

Stat of the month

Quote of the month

interest of the month

10X

more electricity is needed for a query using AI than a standard Google search

AI-powered systems require more energy than standard Google search

Source: BBC

Although the creative community is leading an anti-AI sentiment movement, it reflects a broader skepticism and wariness towards AI technologies among consumers and businesses.

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Rolling Stone >

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Sr Associate, Brand Strategy + Planning

Jordan Leffler

SVP, Brand strategy + Planning

Mike Garrison

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AI mentions through August

Politics have continued to play a large role in AI driven social coverage- particularly with commentary on AI- generated crowd sizes for rallies. The conversation has steadied in terms of volume, with a total of ~16M mentions.

The intersection of blockchain and AI is increasingly driving social media conversations, especially as these technologies converge to transform various industries. Which is sparking discussions on new applications like decentralized AI models, enhanced data privacy, and secure data sharing.

About Brandwatch

Brandwatch is a digital consumer intelligence and social media listening platform that helps businesses and organizations monitor, analyze, and derive insights from online conversations and social media activity. The platform collects data from various social media platforms, blogs, forums, news sites, and other online sources to give users a comprehensive view of what is being said about their brand, industry, or competitors.

AI-related news was driven by several high-profile incidents, including former President Donald Trump's sharing of AI-generated images that falsely depicted Taylor Swift endorsing his presidential campaign. The controversy highlighted the growing concerns over AI's role in misinformation, particularly in political contexts.

Source:

New York Times,

Aljazeera

Microsoft's announcement of a partnership to build 500 megawatts of community-scale solar power stood out in AI-related news. As the energy demands of AI escalate, tech companies are increasingly investing in clean energy to meet climate targets.

Source: Newsweek

OpenAI signed a multi-year deal with Conde Nast to use content from brands like Vogue and The New Yorker in its products, including ChatGPT and SearchGPT. This highlights OpenAI’s strategy to collaborate with news publishers for accurate and reliable information in AI platforms.

Source: Axios

Many media outlets, including CNN, The Guardian, and BBC, are driving conversations around the ethical concerns, legal issues, and societal impacts of AI. This includes debates on privacy, job displacement, and the regulation of AI technologies.

Source: Axios

Outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, and TechRadar emphasize the business and economic effects of AI across various industries. They highlight innovations in AI, its integration into products and services, and its role in enhancing productivity and market strategies.

Source: Axios

Media Research Deep Dive

The Wall Street Journal >

ZDNet >

Entrepreneur >

Media macro

Coverage is focusing on how AI is transitioning from a buzzword to the driving force behind industry transformation. From making buildings smarter and fleets greener to reshaping sectors like healthcare and finance, AI is driving efficiency and innovation across the board. However, with these advancements come new challenges, such as data ownership concerns and the need for vigilant human oversight to ensure ethical practices. As industries integrate AI, the balance between leveraging its potential and addressing its risks will be key to sustainable growth.

Tech focus

The AI narrative focuses on how it’s creating a seismic shift in the tech world, a point the media is quick to emphasize. From making waves in healthcare to streamlining business operations, AI is redefining what's possible. But it's not all smooth sailing. The conversation is also heating up around the hurdles we face, like governing this powerful tool and the unsettling prospect of job displacement. As AI continues to weave its way into every corner of tech, the story is evolving. It's no longer just about the promise of AI but about how we navigate its immense potential while keeping an eye on the risks, ensuring innovation moves forward responsibly.

VentureBeat >

Focuses on the application development of AI, and feature releases from both consumer and B2B brands.

Michael Nunez

About Quid

Quid is an AI tool that provides a news article network graph of articles that mention AI. The different clusters represent subtopics that make up the larger conversation. The subtopics are represented by the colored clusters, showing both the volume and the connectivity of the topics.

Overview

It looks like cat food.

“

”

— A taster sampling an AI created dish

Professional chef and cookbook writer experiments with AI to generate new and creative recipes.

*Image created by ChatGPT

"We know that they have been sold a lot of ideas and concepts in AI over the last several years and, in many cases, customers have been oversold. They’re doing all kinds of things, but not getting the results that they want. We read about it in the press, the $300 billion that's been spent in AI, but where are the actual, tangible customer values?" - Marc Benioff, Salesforce

Pre-Event discussions buzzed with anticipation around the potential impact of AI Agent capabilities, especially as Salesforce prepared to introduce Agentforce. Attendees were also eager to learn about Slack’s integration of AI Agents, following Marc Benioff’s candid acknowledgment of the AI industry's challenges, stating, “Customers have been oversold on AI promises without seeing tangible value.” The conversation underscored a collective focus on delivering real, measurable outcomes from AI innovations at this year’s Dreamforce.

The Social Topic Wheel reflected the pre-event hype, with key drivers of the conversation including Marc Benioff's emphasis on more effective AI integration and the need to avoid the pitfalls of overselling AI solutions. Broader thought leadership highlighted the synergy between human expertise and AI agents, emphasizing seamless integration without requiring customers to build their own AI. Attendees generated significant buzz around Dreamforce, expressing excitement and anticipation for the event's potential.

Pre Event: The Hype Cycle

Day One: Welcome and Keynotes

"Safeguarding the integrity of elections is essential to democracy, and it’s critical that we ensure AI is not deployed to undermine the public’s trust through disinformation -– especially in today’s fraught political climate." - Gavin Newsom, California Governor

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Day 1 social peaks were around exciting conversations about AI and its role in shaping the future. Governor Gavin Newsom made headlines by signing bills aimed at combating election misinformation, while hinting at the need for caution in regulating AI. Attendees also enjoyed thought provoking sessions, including a talk by YOSHIKI on AI in entertainment and a discussion with Sadhguru, who emphasized the potential for AI to uplift humanity when used responsibly.

Insights from the Social Topic Wheel reveal that Salesforce's AI agents continue to be key drivers of conversation. Additionally, Sadhguru, renowned spiritual leader and founder of the Isha Foundation, created a wave of interest following his engaging dialogue with Marc Benioff during his presentation. Salesforce also gained attention for making AI adoption easier for businesses, eliminating the need for complex technical expertise.

AI Legislation in Focus During an onstage interview with Marc Benioff, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of groundbreaking bills aimed at combating the rise of AI deepfake content in elections, highlighting a proactive approach to AI regulation.

Data Supercharged by AI Salesforce and Nvidia unveiled a powerful partnership, integrating Salesforce’s Agentforce platform with Nvidia AI Enterprise. This collaboration is set to supercharge predictive and generative AI workflows, leveraging Nvidia's advanced AI computing and software to optimize the performance of Agentforce.

Power of Partnerships The event showcased strategic alliances designed to enhance Salesforce’s AI capabilities. By partnering with leading enterprises like AWS, Google Cloud, and IBM, Salesforce is amplifying the power of its AI-driven Agentforce platform, enabling businesses to automate complex tasks across multiple systems with greater efficiency.

Day Two: Deep Dive into AI & Data

“There’s this question of whether [AI] is going to improve itself and be as powerful as fission and kill us all. Probably not, at least as far as we know.” - Charles Oppenheimer, CEO of the Oppenheimer Project

Enhanced Customer Support AI-driven automation, especially with Agentforce, reshaped customer service efficiency, as highlighted by Autodesk’s integration of Einstein AI to streamline operations.

Ethical AI Leadership Salesforce emphasized the responsible use of AI, positioning Agentforce as a superior solution while tackling the ethical challenges associated with AI development.

Workforce Upskilling Salesforce will invest $50 million in free AI training and credential programs, focusing on equipping employees with essential AI skills for the future.

Day Three: Innovation and Product Launches

Overall, a majority of the media focus was on technology and AI, with discussions about California’s AI legislation and Nvidia’s recent developments. There was also a strong emphasis on politics and regulation, particularly around Governor Gavin Newsom and how potential new regulations could impact industries like crypto. On the business side, articles explored economic trends, such as Dreamforce’s boost to San Francisco and concerns over crypto businesses possibly leaving the U.S. Influential figures like Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were central to many of these discussions, especially regarding their leadership in the tech world. A lot of the stories centered on California, reflecting its significant role in both technological innovation and political influence.

Day One media coverage showcased Salesforce's commitment to AI with the launch of Agentforce and enhancements to Data Cloud, aimed at improving productivity and customer experiences. New partnerships and investments demonstrated their focus on generative AI, although some businesses struggled with data readiness to fully utilize these tools. California had enacted new AI laws to curb deepfakes, attempting to balance innovation and economic stability, though concerns about stifling creativity arose. Corporate strategies shifted toward AI, while market impacts from regulatory decisions and financial struggles in certain sectors reflected broader industry trends.

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Social engagement spotlighted the transformative potential of AI, with key discussions led by Jensen Huang and Marc Benioff on the future of AI agents and innovation. Cybersecurity took the stage with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, emphasizing the need for stronger security in our increasingly digital world. Additionally, partnerships like Five9 and Salesforce Service Cloud Voice demonstrated how AI is revolutionizing customer experience (CX) through real-time intelligence and advanced automation, offering deeper insights and efficiency.

Insights from the Social Topic Wheel reveal key topics in media and social as it's focused on AI's role in transforming customer service and business operations, with Marc Benioff introducing Agentforce as a leap towards autonomous systems. Keynotes emphasized innovation, including collaborations with Nvidia to advance AI capabilities. DHS Secretary Mayorkas highlighted the importance of addressing cybersecurity challenges in the digital age. Despite security concerns in San Francisco, the city remained a hub for innovation, drawing 45,000 attendees. Brands also ramped up engagement, inviting attendees to explore their offerings on-site.

"AI is not just good, it is incredible! But the pace at which it is unfolding is such that the transition time for people to catch up is too little, and there could be serious collateral damage. We must minimize it with a compassionate heart and above all, an inclusive approach towards everything." -Sadhguru, founder of the Isha Foundation

Artificial intelligence regulation was a major meda theme, with multiple articles discussing efforts by figures like Govenor Gavin Newsom to introduce legislation aimed at controlling AI’s use, particularly to combat misinformation and protect election integrity. Salesforce’s growing emphasis on AI integration was another significant trend, with partnerships like the one with Alation and new features announced at Dreamforce 2024, reflecting the broader industry adoption of AI technologies. In the corporate sphere, articles featuring Jim Cramer discussed leadership strategies and market goals, highlighting trends in financial market analysis. Public interest and engagement with these topics varied, with AI-related stories capturing significant attention.

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Day 3 of Dreamforce saw little new traction on social media, with Day 2's keynote featuring Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang still dominating conversations. Their discussion on AI's transformative power and its potential to reshape industries continued to resonate. Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom’s Day 1 signing of landmark AI bills aimed at curbing AI-generated political disinformation also remained a talking point. San Francisco earned praise for maintaining a clean, safe environment, seamlessly accommodating the influx of over 45,000 attendees, solidifying its reputation as a top-tier venue for tech events.

Insights from the Social Topic Wheel also reflect a similar lack of traction in new topics. There was a collective theme around how Dreamforce 2024 balanced technology with broader cultural and personal development themes, creating a rich, multifaceted experience for attendees. Marc Benioff’s keynote remained a central focus, driving much of the conversation around Salesforce's future and the role of AI in transforming industries. Meanwhile, Sadhguru's presence added a unique dimension, with his insights on humility and human potential resonating with many attendees. Cultural figures like Yoshiki further enriched the experience, adding variety to the event's diverse lineup. San Francisco's role as a smooth, accommodating host also stood out, cementing its reputation as an ideal hub for major tech events.

AI at the Core Agentforce remained a major highlight, with attendees building their own agents and seeing live demonstrations of AI transforming customer service. Sessions on low-code AI tools drew much attention.

Marc Benioff's Vision Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff emphasized the future of AI, noting that while its possibilities are limitless, there is a need for policies to catch up with the rapid pace of technological advancements.

San Francisco Shines San Francisco put its best foot forward as Dreamforce welcomed over 45,000 attendees. The city remained clean and safe throughout the event, receiving praise from attendees and Benioff himself for creating a welcoming environment.

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That's a wrap. Was it all a dream?!?!

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