Salesforce and IBM have announced an expansion of their strategic partnership.
The two tech titans believe that the collaboration will deliver “greater customer choice and flexibility” for their AI and data offerings.
By combining the capabilities of IBM’s Watsonx AI and Data Platform and Salesforce’s Einstein 1 software, the companies claim that customers will be able to make more informed, data-driven decisions and access actions directly from their workflow.
In addition, users will benefit from bidirectional data integration, flexible large language models (LLMs), prebuilt actions and prompts for CRM solutions, and a strengthened commitment to responsible AI development.
The partnership will also involve IBM joining Salesforce’s Zero Copy Partner Network – a collection of tech firms committed to streamlining the way businesses access and use customer data.
Rahul Auradkar, EVP & GM of Unified Data Services & Einstein at Salesforce, emphasized the improvements in data deployment that the expanded partnership will bring about:
Salesforce and IBM are well positioned to make it easier for customers to get the most value from their data — no matter where it resides — and establish a foundation for customer engagement and trusted AI.
"With the addition of bidirectional data integration, companies can harmonize all of their data faster, fueling actionable insights that empower teams to make data-driven decisions and deliver amazing integrated experiences across all touchpoints and channels for every customer interaction."
So, let’s take a closer look at some of the added features customers will be able to enjoy.
LLM Enhancements
While the expanded partnership boasts a number of fresh tools and capabilities, arguably, the most impactful innovation will involve LLMs.
Salesforce’s customizable Bring Your Own Large Language Model strategy will be boosted by watsonx.ai and Einstein 1 Studio integrations – providing users with even greater flexibility thanks to a selection of low-code AI builders.
Moreover, customers will be able to access IBM Granite, the company’s flagship AI model series. The solution trains models on enterprise datasets that adhere to stringent standards for data governance, while providing intellectual property protection from IBM for its customers.
Described as “highly performant and developer-friendly,” by integrating IBM Granite models with the Einstein 1 Platform, joint customers will have the capacity to leverage Granite models for various applications such as industry content generation, field summarization, and classification.
In discussing the integration of these enhanced models, Ritika Gunnar – General Manager of Product Management, Data, and AI at IBM – commented:
