A titan of the tech industry, Salesforce (CRM) revolutionized software after popularizing cloud-based solutions during the dot-com bubble. Today, the company faces a new wave of disruption from AI. Clara Shih, CEO of Salesforce AI, is heading the charge to ensure Salesforce makes the leap successfully.

Shih has built her career on staying one step ahead. An immigrant from Hong Kong, she built the first business application on Facebook at just 25, and founded Hearsay Social at 27.

“I love to work on the forefront of disruption when it hasn't been figured out yet,” Shih said. “I love taking ideas, products, companies from zero to one.”

Today, her challenge is to turn Salesforce into an AI leader - a task she feels optimistic about, after the pandemic highlighted significant gaps in customer service. By the time ChatGPT launched in 2022, Shih said Salesforce was ready to leverage generative AI.

At this year’s Dreamforce event, Shih unveiled a new fleet of autonomous agents called Agentforce. The platform allows companies to build customized agents for customer use. Salesforce touts the technology as the third wave of AI transformation.

But forging ahead will require navigating a complicated regulatory landscape – one that Shih is confident Salesforce can tackle by implementing guardrails to protect consumers and maintain trust.