Downtown San Francisco, once marred by empty streets, vacant office buildings, and a homelessness crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to experience a resurgence in the coming weeks. The city’s much-anticipated technological extravaganza, Salesforce Inc.’s Dreamforce conference, is expected to provide the much-needed boost.
Scheduled to be held from September 12th to 14th at the renowned Moscone Center, Dreamforce is not only San Francisco’s largest tech gathering but also aims to be the premier generative artificial intelligence (AI) event in the nation. With an estimated 40,000 attendees anticipated to join in person, the conference is set to infuse a staggering $57 million into the local economy. The highlight of the event will be a fireside chat between Salesforce’s CEO, Marc Benioff, and Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the organization responsible for ChatGPT.
Colin Fleming, Senior Vice President of Brand, Content, and Customer Insights at Salesforce, emphasized the significance of AI at this year’s event: “AI is at the forefront of every business leader’s mind, and we are fully committed to showcasing its potential at Dreamforce. It serves as both our company’s focus and the conference’s central theme.”
Recent research conducted by Salesforce revealed that two-thirds of information technology leaders have made generative AI a priority for their businesses within the next 18 months.
Fleming further noted, “We find ourselves in a unique moment where San Francisco is emerging as the epicenter for AI.”
Indeed, with Dreamforce on the horizon, hopes are high that downtown San Francisco will witness a remarkable revival unlike anything seen before.
The Rise of AI in San Francisco
The city of San Francisco is on the cusp of another tech boom, this time driven by the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). The recent release of OpenAI’s groundbreaking chatbot, ChatGPT, has further solidified this trend.
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With an impressive presence of nineteen out of the top 55 AI companies worldwide, San Francisco stands as a global leader in the field. The upcoming Dreamforce event will serve as a magnet for AI talent, making it the largest gathering of its kind in the United States. In fact, during the month of July alone, San Francisco hosted an astounding 58 AI-related events according to local AI company, Cerebral Valley. Additionally, data from the respected Brookings Institution reveals that almost half of all generative-AI job postings in the past year originated from San Francisco.
Salesforce at Dreamforce: Focusing on Security
Salesforce, set to announce their quarterly results on Wednesday, has consistently leveraged the Dreamforce platform for major product launches. To address concerns around the security implications of generative AI, it is expected that Salesforce will emphasize new security features in their latest AI offering. An overwhelming majority of business customers, approximately three-fourths, perceive generative AI as a potential security risk.
As San Francisco continues to foster a thriving AI ecosystem, the city remains at the forefront of technological innovation and progress. With the prospect of new breakthroughs on the horizon, it’s evident that AI will continue to shape and redefine the future of this dynamic city.
