Observed Signal · May 13, 2022 · Report Release · Source: CMSWire · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Salesforce Study Finds Customer Trust Crucial for AI and Data Collection
A Salesforce study, the fifth edition of its State of the Connected Customer report, surveyed 13,020 consumers and 3,916 business buyers across 29 countries. It found that trust is increasingly essential for customer-brand relationships: 88% of consumers say trust matters more in times of change, and 52% generally trust companies, up from 48% in 2020. The report also found rising openness to data-driven personalization and AI: 61% of consumers are comfortable with companies using their information transparently and beneficially, up from 52%, and 69% are open to AI improving their experiences, up from 60%. Salesforce VP Brian Solis noted that digital transformation during the pandemic accelerated the need for brands to demonstrate transparency and deliver meaningful customer experiences. Survey data was collected via a double-blind survey from Dec. 8, 2021 to Feb. 1, 2022.
Salesforce survey data on customer trust, AI openness and data collection provides useful insights for marketers, but it is not an industry-shifting product launch or regulatory event.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Salesforce's fifth State of the Connected Customer report surveyed 13,020 consumers and 3,916 business buyers across 29 countries.
- 88% of consumers said trust becomes more essential in times of change.
- 52% of customers generally trust companies, up from 48% in 2020.
- 61% of consumers are comfortable with companies using personal information transparently and beneficially, up from 52% in 2020.
- 69% of customers are open to AI improving their experiences, up from 60% in 2020.
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Hone Raises $60M for AI Agents
Hone, a San Francisco-based AI startup founded by Austrian Moritz Stephan, has raised a $60 million seed round led by Benchmark and Index Ventures, valuing the company at $285 million. Hone develops 'Engines'—autonomous AI agents that manage entire business goals over weeks or months, learning a company's systems and processes while operating under guardrails like simulated decisions and human approval for sensitive actions. Early customers include Cognition and Modal. The funding will support expansion in the competitive AI agent market, where rivals include Decagon, Sierra, and Salesforce's Agentforce. Co-founders Oliver Brady and Carlo Kobe bring experience from Harvey, Mercor, and Fizz. The company has not yet disclosed revenue or customer results.
Hone Raises $60M for AI Agents
Austrian founder Moritz Stephan's AI startup Hone, based in San Francisco, has raised $60 million in a seed round led by Benchmark and Index Ventures. The company builds autonomous AI agents, or 'engines', that manage entire business goals over weeks or months, such as improving customer retention or reducing procurement costs. Hone is valued at $285 million. Early customers include AI coding startup Cognition and AI infrastructure firm Modal. Investors Peter Fenton (Benchmark) and Shardul Shah (Index) join the board, with Elad Gil and SV Angel also participating. The funding will be used to scale operations and acquire more enterprise clients.
Google launches unified agentic AI for Gemini
At the Gemini at Work 2026 conference, Google launched the Gemini Agent, a universal agentic AI for enterprise work. It autonomously plans and executes complex tasks across mobile, web, and Google Workspace, with integration into external systems like Microsoft 365, Slack, Salesforce, and ServiceNow. The agent uses a routing tool to select cost-effective AI models, including Anthropic's Claude, and supports multi-agent orchestration and headless integration. It provides enterprise-grade security with separate identities and audit trails. Early testers include On, Shopify, and PayPal, with deployments at Merck, Lloyds, and Commerzbank, as well as retail use cases like Ulta Beauty. Gemini boasts over 1 billion monthly active users, and nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Gemini Enterprise. The agent competes with Meta's Muse, OpenAI's dots, and xAI's Grok Bot.
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