Alex Wallner, Salesforce Germany Chief, on AI Agents, Developer Evolution, and the Unenviable Future
A Frank Chat by Nadine Klees, Frankfurt
Office-bound AI agents prohibited from accessing basement areas.
AI agents might be welcome in CEO Alex Wallner's office, but they don't make the cut for his subterranean pinball lair. "I'm all for human intellect," he shares candidly during a Financial Times chat. With work behind him, Wallner seeks relaxation devoid of artificial intelligence – a return to good old, sufficient deceleration.
Wallner, 51, has helmed Salesforce Germany for nearly a year as the country CEO and Central Europe region leader. Known for enterprise cloud computing solutions with a focus on customer relationship management (CRM), Salesforce is Wallner's current playground. Before his Salesforce stint, he spent years with California's cloud computing company NetApp and, most recently, served as the CEO at Cologne's public cloud provider Plusserver.
AI agents and the next phase
With AI at the forefront in his Salesforce tenure, Wallner's focus is on AI agents, vessels of the future that are a step beyond chatbots and AI copilots. These next-gen AI agents – Wallner affectionately dubs them as "evolution" – are Salesforce's new office captains. They don't simply dispense answers or pen quirky verse, as Wallner playfully alludes to AI like ChatGPT. Instead, they draw independent conclusions and actively make decisions.
Salesforce showcases its AI agents during mid-May's Agentforce World Tour, including the Frankfurt trade fair. AI agents at Salesforce have demonstrated impressive productivity, efficiently addressing service requests according to established protocols. A mere 1,300 requests were ultimately forwarded to human experts, while users abandoned around 2,800 inquiries. In recent reports, Salesforce shared that over 5,000 customers are already leveraging the AI agents, with approximately 3,000 of them on paid contracts.
While AI agents have streamlined Salesforce's service functions, this doesn't signal a mass exodus of employees, according to Wallner. Regarding the fear that AI might strip jobs away, he asserts an unwavering belief that the future will bring fresh employment opportunities – "but they'll be different." The role of developers will notably change, although Wallner maintains that these professionals will still be crucial. He voices a more urgent concern about the accelerating pace of work: "People must not be overworked." Attaching a marathon metaphor to the workforce, Wallner warns against increasing stress, exertion, and, eventually, burnout.
AI to save time, not jobs
Whenever Wallner harnesses AI for his duties, he finds it a boon – a time-saver, clocking around ten hours weekly. Time he repurposes to engage in face-to-face communication with clients – a quality characteristic, in Wallner's view. Currently traversing the world on business tours, Wallner shares his perspective on modern-day travelers carrying newspapers once more – a possible return to the classic.
Family discussions around AI
Back home from his whirlwind treks, AI remains a kitchen table topic for Wallner, father of four and guide for three growing professionals. As they shift from school to the professional sphere, it's hard to steer clear of AI discussions. Wallner refrains from dispensing career advice, acknowledging the uncertainty about jobs in the future. He steers clear of predictions and, instead, emphasizes the importance of adaptability – a flexible mindset he believes will open up a plethora of opportunities for the younger generation. Wallner often imparts an optimistic outlook, yet he can't help adding a touch of melancholy: "But they're not to be envied."
- In his current role as the country CEO and Central Europe region leader of Salesforce, Alex Wallner's focus is on AI agents, which are expected to take on a more prominent role in the future, surpassing chatbots and AI copilots.
- Despite the integration of AI in various aspects of his business, Wallner believes that the future will bring new employment opportunities, albeit they will be different from the existing ones, and the role of developers will continue to be significant.
- As a father of four and a guide for three growing professionals, Alex Wallner often discusses AI at home, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and a flexible mindset to navigate the ever-changing landscape of technology and business, while acknowledging the uncertainty about jobs in the future.
