From Einstein Copilot to Agentforce – Understanding the Shift to Autonomous AI

If you’ve been working with Salesforce and following its AI journey, chances are you’ve heard of Einstein Copilot—the AI assistant that made Salesforce smarter and more intuitive. 

It was a game-changer for automating workflows, generating insights, and giving you intelligent recommendations. But now, there’s a buzz around a new name: Agentforce.

At first glance, it seems like another AI tool. 

Maybe a flashy new rebrand? 

But beneath the surface, Agentforce isn’t just a fresh coat of paint on Copilot—it’s an upgrade that brings powerful new capabilities. 

And while many are still scratching their heads wondering if they’re the same thing, Agentforce takes what Copilot started and cranks it up a notch, evolving from just assisting to acting on your behalf.

This blog post will untangle the confusion between Einstein Copilot and Agentforce.

What Einstein Copilot Was – The Foundation

Before we dive into what’s new with Agentforce, let’s revisit what Einstein Copilot brought to the table:

1. Assisting Users:
   Einstein Copilot was designed to assist users in navigating Salesforce effectively. It helps by making recommendations, like which opportunities to focus on or which leads are likely to convert. It acts as a personal assistant for Salesforce users.
2. Automation of Workflows:
   Copilot streamlines workflows. It triggers automated actions like sending follow-up emails, scheduling meetings, or updating records based on user interactions or customer data.
3. Data Insights:
   Einstein Copilot generates insights based on historical data, providing users with predictive analytics to help them make data-driven decisions.

What’s New in Agentforce – The Upgrade

Now, let’s see how Agentforce builds on the features of Einstein Copilot and brings more advanced capabilities to the table.

1. Autonomous Agents:
   Unlike Einstein Copilot, which primarily assisted users, Agentforce introduces fully autonomous agents. These agents don’t just offer suggestions—they can complete tasks independently. For example, they can handle customer inquiries, troubleshoot issues, and even make sales recommendations without human intervention.
2. Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs):
   Agentforce integrates more advanced generative AI technology, allowing it to understand and respond to natural language queries. This takes the interaction beyond pre-programmed responses, making the agents more flexible and capable of handling a wider range of tasks.
3. Customizable AI Agents:
   Agentforce comes with the Agentforce Studio, where you can build and customize your agents without extensive coding knowledge. This allows for easy personalization of agents based on specific business needs, making AI much more adaptable than Copilot.
4. Atlas Reasoning Engine:
   This new feature enables agents to make more complex decisions. This feature allows for more nuanced decision-making in customer service, risk management, and operational efficiencies, helping you streamline workflows, reduce response times, and enhance the accuracy of outcomes across critical functions.

With Agentforce handling routine inquiries, Wiley has seen an over 40% increase in case resolution, outperforming their old chatbot and giving their human agents more time to focus on complex cases.^[ii]

The Different Types of Agentforce AI Agents

Agentforce has introduced a range of AI Agents designed to handle various tasks. The initial release focused primarily on Sales and Service functions. These AI Agents can be categorized into two distinct types: assistive and autonomous.

Assistive Agents:

• Work alongside human teams, enhancing their capabilities.
• Require human input and feedback to refine suggestions or actions.

Examples:

• Sales Coach Agents: Help onboard and train sales teams.
• CRM Assistant Agents: Provide answers and insights from Customer 360, instantly accessing customer data.

Autonomous Agents:

• Operate independently without the need for human oversight.
• Handle repetitive tasks while escalating complex cases to human agents.

Examples:

• SDR Agents: Qualify under-resourced leads and initiate follow-up conversations, ensuring no leads are missed.
• Service Agents: Manage common support requests (e.g., password resets or order statuses), improving case deflection without pre-programmed workflows.

Industry Use Cases for Agentforce

At Dreamforce, we got an exciting glimpse into how AI Agents are revolutionizing industry-specific applications. One standout moment was the announcement of a strategic partnership between Salesforce and IBM, which introduced pre-configured AI Agent templates. These templates are designed for industries like financial services and healthcare, where regulatory compliance and security are paramount. This partnership is paving the way for businesses to seamlessly integrate AI Agents into their systems while adhering to strict industry standards. 

Let’s explore how Agentforce is reshaping specific industries.

Financial Services: Enhancing Customer Experience and Security

In financial services, Banking Agents harness data-driven insights to proactively address client needs, delivering personalized service across retail, corporate, and investment banking. These Agents ensure that bankers stay ahead of market trends and customer portfolio updates in real-time, enabling proactive client management. 

For financial analysts, Finance Agents provide valuable insights into risk assessments and financial reports, while playing a crucial role in detecting fraud by identifying suspicious activities as they occur.

Moreover, Advisor Agents can assess portfolio performance and alert human advisors when there’s a need to rebalance assets, facilitating timely outreach to clients. In the insurance sector, Claims Agents automate the claim processing workflow, reducing the average processing time from days to minutes, and transforming the customer experience.

Healthcare and Life Sciences: Streamlining Patient Care

In healthcare, Health Agents provide support across patient, provider, and payer interactions. They can handle appointment scheduling, send reminders, and manage basic queries about lab results—freeing medical staff from administrative tasks so they can focus on patient care. These AI Agents also play a crucial role in aggregating a patient’s medical history, providing a holistic view to healthcare providers, which helps close gaps in care efficiently.

With strict compliance with HIPAA regulations, these AI-driven systems ensure that patient data is always handled with the highest level of security, allowing healthcare providers to focus on delivering high-quality care without concerns over data breaches.

The Bottom Line

With Agentforce, you’re no longer limited to simple assistance—your AI agents can now take action, optimize operations, and elevate experiences across industries. Whether you’re automating processes in finance or enhancing patient outcomes in healthcare, these AI-driven tools represent the next generation of intelligent business solutions designed to drive impactful change.

Statistical References 

^[i]Salesforce
^[ii]Salesforce