ASEAN's AI moment: Why Salesforce sees a leap into the agentic enterprise

Southeast Asia is approaching what Salesforce describes as a defining moment in enterprise AI adoption, as businesses across the region begin shifting from isolated AI deployments to broader agentic enterprise models.

Speaking during a Dreamforce 2026 media briefing attended by People Matters, Gavin Barfield, Vice President and CTO, Solutions, ASEAN at Salesforce, said organisations across the region are increasingly looking to deploy AI agents that can execute tasks, interact with business systems and support employees across functions.

The comments come as enterprises globally move beyond generative AI pilots and focus on measurable business outcomes, operational efficiency and workforce productivity.

From experimentation to execution

According to Salesforce, the next phase of AI adoption will centre on what it calls the agentic enterprise, where humans and AI agents work together across customer service, sales, operations and decision-making processes.

Barfield said organisations are no longer asking whether AI can deliver value. Instead, conversations have shifted towards how AI can be deployed responsibly at scale.

"We have moved beyond the phase of experimentation. Organisations now want to operationalise AI and connect it to real business outcomes," he said during the briefing.

A significant challenge, however, remains trust.

Salesforce's approach focuses on combining AI models with governance, security, trusted data and operational controls. The company showcased what it describes as an AI control framework covering model management, governance, observability, policy controls and security.

Enterprise AI adoption increasingly depends on governance frameworks that allow organisations to scale innovation without compromising trust or accountability.

ASEAN businesses prepare for the next wave

Salesforce executives said Southeast Asia is well positioned to benefit from the emerging AI landscape because many organisations are accelerating digital transformation programmes while simultaneously modernising customer engagement and operational systems.

The company highlighted growing momentum across ASEAN markets as enterprises evaluate AI-driven automation and customer service applications.

Key themes discussed during the briefing included:

• Growing interest in AI agents capable of completing business tasks autonomously.
• Rising focus on trusted data foundations before scaling AI deployments.
• Increased demand for governance and compliance frameworks.
• Greater emphasis on productivity and customer experience outcomes.
• Stronger integration between AI capabilities and existing enterprise systems.

According to Salesforce, enterprises increasingly recognise that AI effectiveness depends not only on model performance but also on access to reliable organisational data.

Customer service emerges as an early proving ground

One of the most visible use cases highlighted during the briefing involved customer service transformation.

Salesforce cited its work with Air India, where Agentforce capabilities have been expanded across service functions.

According to information shared during the presentation, AI-driven automation has helped accelerate several customer service processes, including email resolution, customer requests and knowledge management support.

The company said internal refund turnaround times have reduced from approximately 14 days to four hours, while passenger name update processes have declined from around three days to approximately 30 minutes.

Salesforce presented the example as evidence of how AI agents can augment existing teams rather than replace core customer-facing operations.

Trust remains the defining issue

While enthusiasm around AI continues to grow, Salesforce executives repeatedly emphasised the importance of governance.

Barfield said enterprises must ensure AI systems operate within clear organisational controls and comply with security, privacy and regulatory requirements.

The company outlined several pillars it believes are necessary for responsible AI deployment:

• Trusted models
• Trusted context and data
• Trusted agency and decision frameworks
• Trusted actions
• Trusted governance
• Trusted security

Salesforce executives said these capabilities become increasingly important as AI agents gain greater autonomy within enterprise environments.

Dreamforce spotlights the agentic future

Dreamforce 2026 has been positioned by Salesforce as a showcase for what it sees as the next stage of enterprise transformation.

According to the company, this year's event brought together more than 50,000 attendees from over 150 countries and featured more than 2,000 sessions focused on AI, business innovation and customer transformation.

Salesforce said the central theme of the event is bringing humans and AI agents together to create more productive, responsive and intelligent organisations.

For businesses across Southeast Asia, the message from Dreamforce was clear: the conversation is shifting from AI experimentation towards practical deployment. As organisations strengthen data foundations, governance frameworks and workforce readiness, the region appears increasingly prepared for a broader move into the era of the agentic enterprise.