Has big data been a big letdown? AI may be the breakthrough you need.

Today’s question: How can new AI platforms finally help you harness the power of big data?

The term big data came into vogue in the 1990s, along with big promises that companies are still waiting to see realized. For a variety of reasons, most businesses are still unable to capitalize on the wealth of data they have stored in different systems around the organization. 

Today’s advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) may be the key that finally unlocks the value of big data — not by, yet again, reinventing the way data is stored, but by reimagining the way it’s accessed and disseminated throughout an organization.

Personal AI agents will forever change your relationship to your customers 

Where is the world of AI agents headed? The Futures team at Salesforce imagines an infinitely patient helper who learns preferences, understands goals, and specializes in doing stuff you don’t want to do. What makes this possible? Greater contextual intelligence and more persistent memory, which enables  agents to provide personalization far exceeding today’s capabilities.

What our community saying

There’s a growing debate around when to use retrieval augmented generation (RAG) and when to fine-tune LLMs. AI experts from Perplexity , LlamaIndex , and LangChain joined Clara Shih on the Ask More of AI podcast to discuss the intersection of data and AI.

What we're reading

• The combination of generative AI and the Internet of Things opens up new possibilities and opportunities. [ Forbes ]
• Here’s some advice for companies trying to cultivate a culture of AI usage. One idea — host workshops where you show workers (not just tell them about) AI's utility across various job functions. [ The Neuron - AI News ]
• A crucial factor in employee AI adoption and readiness will be a leader's receptivity to massive change — not as an expert who has it all figured out but as a learner with intellectual humility and curiosity. In other words, a beginner’s mindset. [ Harvard Business Review ]

This newsletter was curated by Lisa DiCarlo Lee , Contributing Editor at Salesforce .

What’s the biggest question you have about AI? Let us know with a comment below. We read every single one and may just choose yours as the subject for a future newsletter.