• Salesforce UK&I CEO pushes her skilling "mission" across the country
• Salesforce doubles down on UK&I recruitment and upskilling goals
• Jobs could be repatriated back to the UK from abroad

Salesforce’s UK&I CEO has doubled down on her company’s commitment to investing in skills training and upskilling of young people.

With the UK recently seeing a change in Prime Minister, Zahra Bahroloumi was asked in a media roundtable attended by TechRadar Pro what her outlook for the future looked like.

“Irrespective of government, we are committed to, and very active to the skilling of people,” Bahroloumi said, “we're not stopping, we remain true to our mission, and we remain active and true to our customers, irrespective of government”.

Closing the AI literacy gap

Bahrololoumi has long been a key voice in promoting skills training in the UK, using her company’s influence and scale across the country to push a number of key initiatives.

In June 2026, she outlined the Salesforce’s “incredibly bold” vision for the UK, which includes $6 billion investment committed to the country through 2030, and its role in backing the UK government’s aim to train 10 million UK workers by 2030.

Alongside Bahrololoumi, Paul O’Sullivan, SVP Solution Engineering and Salesforce UKI CTO also looked to outline how Salesforce’s future Trailblazer program is “closing the AI literacy gap”.

O’Sullivan noted how Salesforce is going through “a surge of hiring”, including doubling the size of its forward-deployed engineer team in the UK.

“We are not just looking to attract the best possible talent to come and join Salesforce, we’re also heavily investing in our apprenticeship scheme, doubling down on our graduate opportunities, and aiming to double the size of the team in the next six months,” he noted.

“This is our opportunity to reinvest in the next generation.”

Looking forward, Bahrololoumi was keen to promote the role of the UK in the AI-enabled and augmented future, noting that while the country was, “an empowered market”, there was still potential for more growth.

“We need more talent,” she added, “I feel so confident, and we’ve got the evidence and the proof points that this technology and our platform can work and automate jobs, and augment jobs, and expand human capacity in an organisation effectively.

“But I would like to see more jobs being repatriated from offshore and low-cost locations and jobs being created back in the UK - so I would like to see a stronger drive around automation and repatriation.”

Bahrololoumi gave the example of when there 300 jobs in a low-cost location, outside of the UK - “why can I not create a hundred jobs in the UK and still do 300 plus worth of capacity?”

“That’s something we’re really focused on, because we’ve got the capability to do that now… but I think we've got the opportunity now to create jobs in the UK,” she concluded, “we're on a mission.”

• Salesforce expands Missionforce defense AI agent program
• Missionforce will now add in models from OpenAI and Nvidia
• Missionforce is now one year old, with big plans going forward

Salesforce is expanding its defense AI model program to help bring extra intelligent to critical government missions.

The company revealed its Missionforce program will now be partnering with OpenAI and Nvidia to bring in the former's frontier models, and also adding the latter's models and accelerated computing capabilities.

Salesforce says this expansion will allow Missionforce to deliver "new, specialized AI capabilities and agents designed for the government’s toughest challenges."

Missionforce gets smarter

“Government agencies want tailored AI that runs everywhere they operate while staying within the secure environments their missions demand.” said Kendall Collins, CEO of Missionforce & Government Cloud.

“Missionforce enables this at scale, with purpose-built AI that executes the mission and enables agencies to solve their hardest problems while maintaining operational control.”

This includes Operations capabilities such as turning manual, paper-bound processes such as procurement, supplier management, and invoice audits into digital workflows in just a few minutes, with specialized AI agents automatically running tasks, track status, and flagging exceptions in real time, all running entirely within private cloud or air-gapped environments.

Elsewhere, the company's Missionforce Field Operations & Asset Management tool means government agencies can now use AI agents to automate scheduling, work orders, and asset maintenance — all supported by native offline mobile capabilities for remote environments.

The news comes as Salesforce marked one year of Missionforce, with the company noting that the public sector has become its fastest-growing industry business at scale, and that its defense sector business has grown 80% year over year as demand accelerates.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff harked to the partnership in his opening keynote at Dreamforce 2026, noting that the company was "deeply committed to America".

Having already worked with government customers for more than two decades, the expansion means Salesforce now supports some of the US government’s "most complex and consequential missions" across more than 30 countries, working with 60 federal agencies, all 15 US Cabinet departments, all 50 states, and all six branches of the US military.

“One year in, the momentum behind Missionforce shows how quickly government agencies are moving from AI ambition to operational deployment,” Collins said.

“Our defense business is a critically important part of that progress, with trusted data and actionable intelligence essential to readiness and mission success. With new capabilities and partnerships, we’re helping agencies equip their people and put AI to work — with the security, accountability, and control their most critical missions demand.”

• Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff calls the SaaSpocalypse "crazy nonsense"
• Instead, he predicts a new kind of software interface will make all the difference
• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang agrees, saying the end of software isn't nigh

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has hit out at reports AI technology will lead to a "SaaSpocalypse", saying traditional software still has life in it yet.

Speaking at the opening keynote of Dreamforce 2026, Benioff said the talk of a SaaSpocalypse over the last six months was "crazy nonsense".

Instead, Benioff said the market trends would actually bring in a new age of software - one where AI would be playing a key role.

A new kind of interface

"Hasn't it been wild?" Benioff asked the Dreamforce crowd.

"But I think we realized that SaaSpocalypse - it's not about the end of software, but it may be about the end of software that makes humans do all the work."

Namely, this refers to AIforce, the company's new realization of the software interface, to reflect the needs of the AI age.

Benioff noted that over the past few decades, users have gone from Command Line interfaces to GUI, from web to mobile - and now, with AI assuming a much greater role in the world of work, there's a need for a new kind of interface.

AIforce looks to address this by enabling agents anywhere to reason and take action across all the data, workflows, and logic inside Salesforce, hopefully unlocking whole new ways of working for customers everywhere.

Benioff wasn't alone in his belief that this isn't the end of software - later in his keynote, he welcomed Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on stage.

This was primarily to discuss Salesforce's new Koa CRM, developed alongside Nvidia, but the talk took a bit of a manic turn, as the two billionaires instead decided to pace about the theatre and have a discussion about the wider technology industry.

"Don't give up on the technology," Huang said, "You've heard me say it - I was the first CEO to come out not in the software industry to say the end of software is nonsense."

"(Instead) This is going to be a layer on top of sotware, this new layer is gojng to be agentic, and it's going to make the software so much better."

• Salesforce has revealed Ace, a new AI agent for the TSA
• Ace should take the pressure of answering basic questions off human agents
• Ace has already resolved 96% of basic inquiries so far

Salesforce has built the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) a new AI agent to try and help streamline travel for passengers everywhere.

Ace, a new AI agent built with Salesforce's Public Sector Solutions platform, has been live for several months now, helping the TSA deal with traveller requests and inquiries.

So far, Salesforce says Ace has already handled approximately 100,000 routine traveler conversations per month and resolved 96% of routine inquiries, such as how to pack liquids or enter a checkpoint with a medical device — without the need for human escalation.

TSA and AI

“Nearly three million people travel through US airports every day, and a simple question shouldn’t stand between them and a smooth trip,” said Kendall Collins, CEO of Missionforce and Government Cloud.

“TSA’s new Ace AI agent gives travelers fast, accurate answers before they reach the checkpoint—from what they can pack to how they can prepare—while helping TSA officers stay focused on their essential security mission.”

The launch of Ace forms part of a broader modernization initiative, led by the TSA’s Customer Experience Branch to improve traveler service using Salesforce.

The amount of questions from travellers can ramp up hugely during peak travel periods and disruptions, so the TSA needed a flexible way to scale support, deliver consistent guidance, and reduce pressure on its contact center teams.

Deploying a secure, autonomous AI agent like Ace, which can answer routine questions and direct more complex needs to staff, means the TSA can improve services, control costs, and support its missions at scale, even at the busiest times of the year.

“The TSA is leading with trusted AI to meet the mission,” said Paul Tatum, EVP of Global Public Sector Solutions at Salesforce. “They are delivering a secure, data-driven, and AI-first foundation that scales operations, lowers costs, and protects public trust, even during the most stressful travel times.”

• Sam Altman admits AI development may require greater control
• Altman references Hugging Face "accident" as something which might cause wider distrust
• However Altman said he still believes AI technology can greatly benefit humanity as a whole

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has admitted that the rapid pace of development in the AI industry is rightfully scaring some people, and that more controls might be necessary.

Speaking at Dreamforce 2026, Altman was quizzed by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on a variety of topics, giving his opinion on not just the most recent incidents in the world of technology, but where the future of AI could go next.

"This could go wrong"

Altman and Benioff's wide-ranging conversation began with the latter asking the former for his view on "what's been going on" concerning recent controversies in the AI industry.

This included the widely-reported Hugging Face hack, as well as increasing calls for greater AI regulation in recent weeks.

"People have been talking about the potential downsides or serious risks of AI for some time,” Altman said, noting that the increased capabilities of models have meant people are paying more attention than ever before.

Altman also highlighted the recent “Hugging Face accident”, which he later described as “obviously a terrifying incident”, as raising awareness among the wider world as to what AI is capable of.

“It doesn't take as much imagination as it used to, to imagine how this could go wrong,” he pointed out, adding that he would like to know that companies don’t intend to use their models for nefarious means - “there should be no qualifier on that,” he pointed out.

Altman also highlighted the “real fear” that “some companies working in AI could get too much power and be able to influence the economy”.

“I think the world is right to be afraid of this,” he pointed out.

Future hopes

However it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as Altman noted that OpenAI was navigating a “narrow path” with pragmatism, steadiness and consistency.

“People are now saying, this seems pretty important, so let's get it right...and we will get it right, by the way, I'm very confident in our ability to do this. The world should trust that we are going to do the right thing, because it is the right thing, and we know the magnitude of this.”

Altman was also confident that despite the continuing advances of AI, he had high hopes for the future of humanity, noting that while "people don't care that much what a machine does...we have a wonderful ability of being obsessed with other people.”

However this might still involve some tough work, as society and people would “need to uplift themselves very fast” to get all the advantages of technology - “but this seems very achievable to me,” Altman added.

Looking forward

Overall though, Altman noted that the degree that people care about other people is a major positive, and predicted that "we will stay in an extremely human-centric world, no matter what technology does.”

AI will help with this progress, though, with Altman saying that although the technology is capable of incidents such as the Hugging Face hack, it is also possible to use AI to defend against such attacks.

“We have to (use AI to defend) to get the prize of curing diseases, giving people this incredible creativity, this human entrepreneurship that I think is coming.”

“I think people, with this technology in their hands, can live a much better version of their lives.”

Benioff closed out the session by asking what he hoped the legacy of his company would be, with Altman noting that the company had set out on an "insane mission" to achieve AGI, and that it had only scratched the surface" of building great products".

“There is no doubt there will be more technological wonders by 2030, and they'll be big ones,” he added, highlighting the fact that you can talk to a computer and it knows what you want, understand your company and take action, “is one of the most profound changes to how we use technology that I've ever seen...this is one of the moments that feels like you're in a movie (and) I think this will transform the way we work and use computers”.

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei discuss AI at Dreamforce 2026
• Amodei says the pace of progress had surprised Anthropic
• Huang calls for greater safety, but hails the advantages AI can bring

Some of the world's leading AI minds have shared their opinions on the future of the technology, revealing some intriguinly diverging viewpoints.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei were both guest appearances during the opening keynote of Dreamforce 2026, where they were both quizzed by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on their opinions and views on the future of the technology.

The pair had some interestingly differing viewpoints, showing the trouble facing not just internal and external stakeholders, but also lawmakers and regulators.

Jensen vs Dario?

First up was Amodei, whose Claude platform has become increasingly partnered with Salesforce in recent months, culminating in the recent launch of Claudeforce.

Asked by Benioff about the state of the AI market right now, Amodei likened it to the motor industry, where safety records can be conflated, but companies can learn from each other - and he also seems keen to open things up internationally to set standards.

“I think that’s the way to lead the industry forward, to set an example, to say that everyone can always be better,” he pointed out.

Benioff also asked Amodei about the biggest surprises has had while developing his technology over the last decade.

The Anthropic head replied the "pace of the progress" - not just in the development of AI technology, but the economic impact of it too - noting his company didn't appreciate how quickly certain companies would grow and become central to everyday life.

Finally, Benioff asked what actions Amodei would like the public to take when using AI.

Amodei replied that even if development of AI technology was frozen right now, we'd only be using maybe 5-10% of the possible value we could get.

Making use of all the information with platforms such as Claude could open up new areas of business - "there's so much diffusion left," Amodei says.

Huang was much more positive in his appearance, leading Benioff in a walkabout around the keynote theatre as the pair discussed AI.

"We're going through a new industrial revolution," Huang pointed out,

However he did urge caution in some areas, particularly around safety.

“Safety is paramount in a lot of ways. It’s job one,” Huang said. “However, safety is an engineering problem.”

Speed and safety are not mutually exclusive, Huang noted, pointing out that companies should pace themselves until they are sure they are releasing something that the market will appreciate.

“It’s a false choice,” Huang told Benioff. “You could definitely have both at the same time.”

When it comes to model protections, Huang said that companies should, “run as fast as you can...but if you feel at any given point in time the company’s out of control or the product’s not going to be safe, take a pause and make sure you get it right.”

Wrapping up, Benioff asked Huang about his vision for the next few years - and what he wants to see from Salesforce.

Huang says he wants to "Agentforce every company", outlining an aim of "really deploying AI".

"You don't want to be left behind, this is too important of a technology revolution," Huang noted, "if it doesn't work for you straight away, don't give up on it."

"The most important thing - don't get left behind...the sky's the limit for us."

• Meta launches Muse personal AI agent - and seemingly takes social media accounts too
• British rock icons Muse seemingly shifted to @Museband
• However changeover seems not to apply to older tweets

After Meta recently launched Muse, its new "personal AI agent", the company has apparently already run into difficulties securing the social media handles for its new project.

Both the Instagram and Threads handle for @Muse previously belonged to iconic British rock trio Muse, but now appear to be under the control of Meta.

The former has apparently been shunted out to @Museband, despite having been around a lot longer than Meta's latest misguided AI boondoggle - with the move alarming fans and industry observers around the world.

Just a load of Hysteria?

One of Britain's most successful rock exports, Muse (the band) trademarked its name in 1999, and had used the @muse account on Instagram and on X for many years.

However The Independent noticed that in July 2026, this changed, with Meta's platform taking over on both websites. This has caused some unfortunate cross-referencing for some user's tweets, causing Meta executives (including Mark Zuckerberg himself) to apparently hail the performance of @Museband as "the best AI agent I've tried".

Muse are well known for their dramatic performances and musical innovation, but the band has also hit out against the creeping influence of technology in the modern world, including how it might be used for government surveillance or warfare purposes.

Neither the band or Meta have responded to press inquiries, and all accounts seem to still be in place.

Of course, there might only be a limited number of words and names available for new projects and products, especially with terms as historic and iconic as Muse (which dates back to Ancient Greece), but Meta's move does raise concerns about the ability of powerful organizations to dominate and commandeer entities such as usernames.

Engadget points out that the @Meta Instagram handle had been used by an independent motorcycle magazine of the same name since 20214, before Zuckerberg's company acquired it, forcing the former to change its name. And when Meta launched its Threads network in 2023, the @threads handle on Instagram quietly changed from a small fashion retailer called American Threads to Meta's control a month later.

If Meta is able to kick off one of the most famous bands of the last few decades in favor of what will likely be a short-lived misadventure, where will it all end?

• IBM and NASA launch open source AI model to help further lunar research
• Researchers will be able to better analyze petabytes of Moon data from last five decades
• IBM and NASA also release dataset for public usage and analysis

IBM has launched a new open source AI model it hopes will help spur on NASA researchers in their push to get humanity back to the Moon.

The new NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation model, available on Hugging Face, will allow researchers to analyze decades of lunar observation data, and identify geological features that are critical to understand for NASA as it looks to build a sustained human presence on the Moon.

The model has been trained by IBM and NASA researchers on a huge, multimodal NASA dataset, which will also be released alongside the model, providing wider access to the latest advanced AI systems in a bid to push on wider progress in lunar exploration.

To the Moon (and beyond)

At its most obvious level, the model will allow a much easier way for researchers to study petabytes of data gathered on the Moon's surface for potentially hazardous locations such as ice deposits or craters.

Currently, scientists often rely on manual analysis or low-resolution, task-specific AI models, which can be not only computationally demanding, but also often lack the accuracy needed for detailed geographic analysis.

The new release will now mean that instead of needing to build a new AI model for every potential issue, scientists can now adapt a single foundation model to investigate a range of lunar geologic features.

The model has already proved useful, identifying craters and volcanic features far more accurately (see below) and significantly reducing errors in locating potential ice deposits.

IBM, which has worked with NASA for over five decades, including on the Apollo missions, believes the model could help future astronauts navigate safely and even find essential resources, as well as helping scientists better understand the Moon's geological history.

“Uncovering the mysteries of the Moon requires an ability to learn from an extraordinary volume of scientific data,” said Juan Bernabe-Moreno, Director of IBM Research Europe, UK and Ireland.

“The NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation Model gives scientists a foundation to explore the Moon at scale, connecting observations across instruments, revealing patterns that are difficult to see in isolation, and providing an open platform the global research community can build on.”

The release of the dataset will mark the first time a unified, publicly-available cache has been made available and ready for machine learning. It brings together over 30 spatially aligned layers from nine instruments across four missions, including tens of thousands of images and maps showing unique geophysical properties of the lunar surface from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and NASA’s GRAIL mission.

Identifying lunar ice deposits could be particularly vital, as the presence of both water and oxygen will be crucial to establishing a human base on the Moon, and even creating rocket fuel for future Mars missions.

Scanning the Moon's volcanic features, known as Iregular Mare Patches, can allow scientists to better understand the Moon's volcanic history and thermal evolution, as well as helping identify potential sites for landing and other surface operations.

Finally, studying the Moon's craters can offer a wealth of information on its history, including the age of different terrains, their geology, and even the chemical composition of the early lunar interior - as well as again helping to identify safe landing sites without hazards such as steep slopes and boulders.

• Lenovo offers up Eva Longoria to help solve your SMB woes
• Desperate Housewives star is an entrepreneur and serial investor herself
• Users can submit questions now, with Longoria answering on her Instagram page

If you're looking for that extra bit of business support and advice, you might seek out a mentor, someone who's been there and done it all - but how about a well-known TV and film icon?

Lenovo has teamed up with Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, who both owns her own business, and has invested in companies involved in everything from food and beverages to media, to offer her unique advice on the issues affecting fellow entrepreneurs.

Entrants will be able to submit their burning questions to the star via a special phone number or through CallEvaNow.com, with Longoria providing assistance at a later date.

Call Eva

The "Call Eva" idea is part of Lenovo’s global Backing Every Business program, which looks to "connect entrepreneurs across the world who are facing similar business challenges, creating peer-to-peer relationships where they can exchange experiences, perspectives and practical advice".

Entrepreneurs in Brazil, France, India, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States will be able to take part, with Longoria selecting the most pressing to answer on her personal Instagram feed on September 16, 2026.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that you don’t have to have all the answers yourself. Some of the best decisions start with asking someone you trust for insights, a fresh perspective or even just reassurance that you’re heading in the right direction,” Longoria said

“That’s what I love about Lenovo’s Backing Every Business initiative and now Call Eva. We’re giving entrepreneurs a place to bring the questions they’re really wrestling with, because chances are, another business owner has faced similar dilemmas. If something I’ve learned along the way can help someone better navigate a challenge, make a tough decision or take their next step with more confidence, that’s incredibly meaningful to me.”

“Technology can unlock enormous opportunities for small businesses, but technology alone doesn’t build a business. Entrepreneurs also need access to trusted advice, shared experiences and a community that understands the realities of building and growing a business,” said Emily Ketchen, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Intelligent Devices Group and International Markets, Lenovo.

“Backing Every Business brings those pieces together and Call Eva gives us a new avenue to extend that support while listening directly to entrepreneurs about the challenges they’re navigating. By understanding their questions, we can continue to find meaningful ways to help small businesses move forward and grow with confidence.”