Integrating Generative <scp>AI</scp> Into Enterprise Platforms: Insights From Salesforce

ABSTRACT The widespread applications of generative AI (GenAI) have sparked significant interest, with many organisations eager to leverage its transformative potential. Rather than focusing on individual organisations, this study examines GenAI integration within enterprise platforms, which are extensively adopted by many organisations and thus amplify both the benefits and risks of GenAI. We offer targeted recommendations for enterprise platform owners and their complementors, addressing challenges they face when integrating GenAI into these platforms. Drawing on a case study of Salesforce's experience, we recommend actions in three foundational areas – platform capability, architecture and governance – ensuring that our guidance is broadly applicable across enterprise platforms. In platform capability, we advise developing a unified GenAI stack built on existing platform services, offering generic and industry‐specific GenAI use cases to accelerate customer adoption and providing tools for customisation and creation of new use cases to enhance GenAI's transformational impact. For platform architecture, we recommend adding new layers for accommodating diverse GenAI foundation models and creating a trusted environment for secure data access, privacy and content monitoring. We also recommend implementing a prompt architecture to improve content relevance and accuracy. In platform governance, we recommend establishing new mechanisms to mitigate GenAI risks. Partnerships with GenAI providers and proactive investments in GenAI are essential to retain critical GenAI technologies. Personalised consultancy and training along with joint design and implementation with platform customers are also recommended. These combined actions, pursued in parallel across capability, architecture and governance, form a sustainable roadmap for GenAI integration in enterprise platforms.