News

Salesforce's New AI Coding Assistant Snags 'Copilot' Moniker

New Einstein Copilot brings AI Assist to Salesforce Platform

• By David Ramel
• 09/09/2023

Salesforce has unveiled a new AI coding assistant based on its Einstein technology, and the name all but standardizes a term popularized by Microsoft's GitHub with its game-changing tool, GitHub Copilot.

Einstein Copilot is a new generative AI-powered conversational assistant for Salesforce applications. Deeply integrated with the Salesforce Data Cloud, Einstein Copilot was designed to enhance user productivity by responding to natural language queries, and offering, not only accurate answers rooted in Salesforce's secure database, but also suggesting further actionable steps. For instance, after a sales call, it might suggest a subsequent action plan or draft a new service knowledge article.

An integral part of this AI thrust is the Einstein Copilot Studio, which houses tools that facilitate AI-centric app development:

• Prompt Builder: Tailor-make generative AI prompts in line with brand and communication aesthetics, all without the need for a tech prodigy.
• Skills Builder: Curate custom AI-initiated actions for specific tasks.
• Model Builder: Companies have the liberty to cherry-pick their AI models (BYOM). They can either tap into Salesforce's in-house LLMs or align with external predictive and generative AI models. Furthermore, fine-tuning these models on Data Cloud is hassle-free, eliminating the need to migrate or replicate data.

The Studio's versatility also extends to enabling Einstein Copilot across various customer interfaces, from real-time chat on websites to popular platforms like Slack, WhatsApp, and SMS.

Both Einstein Copilot and its Studio will undergo testing phases within Salesforce's intrinsic secure AI blueprint, named the Einstein Trust Layer. This setup is crafted to leverage customer data for superior AI outputs, while staunchly maintaining data privacy and security protocols.

While Einstein Copilot is presently in its pilot phase, Einstein Copilot Studio is scheduled for a pilot rollout in Fall 2023. The Einstein Trust Layer's new features are set for a broader release next month, incorporated across all Einstein products.

Alongside this, Salesforce also introduced the Einstein 1 Platform. Boasting significant advancements for Salesforce Data Cloud and Einstein AI functionalities, this platform is anchored on Salesforce's foundational metadata structure. This platform promises companies a safe conduit for data, allowing them to craft AI-augmented apps using low-code and reinvent CRM interfaces altogether.