Salesforce Agentforce empowers AI-driven productivity across your business, and the choice of Large Language Model (LLM) provider plays a key role in that experience. By default, Agentforce uses OpenAI’s GPT-4 Omni, which is recognized for its speed, performance, and broad language capabilities. However, Salesforce now provides a new option: Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4, hosted on Amazon Bedrock, within the Salesforce-managed trust boundary.

This new model provider is particularly suitable for organizations that prioritize data residency, security, and regulatory compliance. Not all agent types or actions require the same level of control, so understanding which provider to use is essential to balance speed, security, and AI accuracy in your business operations. Making an informed decision ensures your Agentforce deployment aligns with your organization’s requirements and safeguards sensitive information.

Anthropic on Amazon Bedrock – Built for Secure AI

For organizations that require maximum privacy and full control over AI interactions, Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 via Amazon Bedrock is the recommended choice. Key features include:

• Hosted entirely within Salesforce’s Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and integrated with AWS Privatelink.
• All LLM traffic remains secure, encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher, and is isolated from third-party access.
• Zero data is stored or used to train the model; even Anthropic and Amazon cannot see your data.
• Supports many standard Agentforce actions such as summarizing records, querying data, generating timelines, and more.
• Currently supports English only and does not have multimodal capabilities.
• May experience slightly higher latency compared to OpenAI, but provides highly accurate and context-sensitive outputs when prompts are well structured.

This makes Anthropic an excellent option for applications where privacy and regulatory compliance cannot be compromised. Organizations can confidently handle sensitive data while maintaining strict control over AI interactions.

OpenAI vs Anthropic – A Strategic Decision

When selecting between OpenAI and Anthropic in Agentforce, your organization’s AI goals and security posture should guide the choice.

OpenAI GPT-4 Omni

• Remains the default for speed, performance, and versatility.
• Supports multiple languages, making it suitable for global business operations.
• Ideal for customer-facing use cases where quick, accurate, and adaptable responses are essential.

Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4

• Salesforce’s first LLM hosted entirely inside its infrastructure, ensuring that no data leaves the Salesforce ecosystem.
• Best suited for industries such as finance, healthcare, and government, where data governance and regulatory compliance are critical.
• Switching to Anthropic may require retesting custom agent actions and refining prompts, as it is more sensitive to wording.
• Provides reliable results when prompts are clearly structured and precise.

Key differences to consider:

• Hosting: OpenAI operates in its cloud environment, while Anthropic is hosted in Salesforce VPC on AWS Bedrock.
• Data handling: OpenAI may store or process data outside Salesforce, whereas Anthropic ensures zero data leaves Salesforce.
• Language support: OpenAI supports multiple languages; Anthropic currently supports English only.
• Multimodal capabilities: OpenAI supports multimodal inputs, but Anthropic does not.
• Latency: OpenAI generally offers lower latency; Anthropic may have slightly higher response times.
• Best use cases: OpenAI is suited for fast, versatile, and multilingual tasks, while Anthropic excels in privacy-focused, regulatory-sensitive environments.

By considering these differences, organizations can align their LLM choice with operational needs and security priorities.

Choosing the right LLM provider in Salesforce Agentforce is a strategic decision that directly impacts productivity, data security, and compliance. OpenAI GPT-4 Omni is ideal for organizations that require speed, versatility, and multilingual support, while Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 is best suited for organizations that prioritize data privacy, regulatory compliance, and complete control over AI interactions.

Evaluating your organization’s AI goals, security requirements, and the specific functions of your Agentforce agents is essential for making the right decision. Both providers offer strong capabilities, but the choice should reflect the balance between operational efficiency and strict data control. Proper selection ensures that your AI outputs remain accurate, reliable, and secure, supporting effective business operations while protecting sensitive information.