Agent-based AI is transforming medical technology: Salesforce discusses innovation, partnerships, and practical benefits at MedtecLIVE 2026
Interview with Clemens Calheiros Brast
The medical technology industry is in the midst of a period of fundamental transformation: increasing regulatory requirements, global competitive pressure, and increasingly complex customer expectations. Companies are seeking solutions that redefine efficiency, transparency, and customer-centricity. Salesforce is one of the drivers of this change—with its AI-based Agentforce Life Sciences platform, which is specifically tailored to the needs of the medtech industry. In this interview, Clemens Calheiros Brast, Regional Lead for Medtech Strategy, explains why 2026 is the perfect time to rethink business with agent-based AI—and why MedtecLIVE in Stuttgart is the right place for it.
In 2026, Salesforce will be exhibiting at MedtecLIVE in Stuttgart. What can Salesforce offer the medical technology market, and why is MedtecLIVE a suitable platform for this?
Clemens Calheiros Brast (CCB): With Agentforce Life Sciences for medical technology companies, we help clients such as KARL STORZ and B. Braun grow in the AI era. In doing so, we think and act far beyond the scope of traditional CRM. For companies to move forward with confidence, they need a platform that is proactive, conversational, and customer-centric—and, above all, tailored to the industry’s specific requirements. We look forward to many interesting discussions at MedTecLIVE and are confident that we have exactly the right offering for visitors, as more than half are desperately seeking ways to redesign their processes.
Since 2019, you have maintained a close, collaborative partnership with KARL STORZ. What have been the most important milestones since the start of this partnership in terms of better coordinating activities across business units, regions, and continents, and, above all, ensuring an excellent customer experience?
CCB: When the Global Customer Experience Management project launched in 2019, KARL STORZ chose Salesforce as its global platform for all customer-related processes in sales, service, and marketing. As you rightly point out, this has led to a very close partnership. When we introduced our new Agentforce platform in the fall of 2024, the KARL STORZ team was among the first medical technology customers to recognize its potential and immediately embark on pilot projects and initial use cases for agent-based AI. One of the reasons this happened so quickly was that, thanks to our long-standing collaboration, they already had the necessary data foundation to achieve success and results in a very short time. For this, we even honored them last year with the Agentblazer Award, which we present to particularly innovative users.
The impact of artificial intelligence on global medtech companies is growing rapidly. But what does this mean in concrete terms for sales teams, service technicians, and customer support? Salesforce clearly demonstrates how AI agents are already setting new standards in these areas today.
What role will AI agents play in the future, particularly in sales and customer service within the medical technology industry?
CCB: Competition in the medical technology industry is becoming increasingly fierce. AI and AI agents are essential for companies to stay ahead of the curve. The imperative is to become more productive, efficient, and profitable. Let me give you an example: Most HCPs want more flexibility in their interactions with vendors and suppliers. They want to receive exactly the information and answers they need to better care for their patients, through their preferred channel and at the right time. Agent-based AI can make a huge difference here by enabling medical technology companies to offer this personalized service on a large scale. At the same time, this step relieves employees so they can invest their time in complex, individualized issues. Sales teams are already benefiting measurably today from greater efficiency and better-informed decision-making thanks to agent-based AI: for example, with voice-controlled agents that provide account summaries and potential analyses in seconds, or deliver results, reports, and precise forecasts. The potential for reducing workload is enormous, as surveys show that sales teams spend just 30 percent of their time on customer contact and devote the rest of their workday to low-value-added administrative and documentation tasks.
In addition to strategic context and practical examples, many trade show visitors are particularly interested in one thing: What actually happens at the booth itself? Salesforce offers in-depth insights into specific use cases as well as hands-on experiences with agent-based AI.
What else can interested attendees expect from a visit to the Salesforce booth or participation in the supporting program?
CCB: We will, of course, be showcasing Agentforce—not as a glossy presentation, but with a concrete focus on specific use cases tailored to medtech sales and service. These include the implementation of pay-per-use models for high-priced products, as well as strengthening supply chains and securing revenue for suppliers of consumables. We’ll also demonstrate how AI agents in service can reduce resolution times by more than a third by, among other things, providing field service teams with the necessary data and instructions in real time during their workflows. My colleague Tino Kreymann will give a presentation on this topic on Tuesday, May 5, at 2 p.m., offering concrete tips and practical recommendations for implementation. One of the demos at the booth will focus on an endoscopic product from our client KARL STORZ. Anyone interested in learning more about this collaboration is cordially invited to our joint session on Wednesday, May 6, at 1 p.m.—where you’ll get first-hand insights from our client’s perspective. Interested visitors can also try their hand at building their own AI agent in just 20 minutes right at our booth. With Agentforce, it’s actually so simple and intuitive that no programming knowledge or lengthy training is required. And we have a little surprise in store as well, but of course I won’t reveal that just yet.
The findings show that agent-based AI is no longer just a promise for the future—it will become a key competitive factor in medical technology by 2026. Salesforce brings not only the technological platform to the table, but also industry expertise and long-standing partnerships that deliver real value.
If you want to actively shape your company’s future, be sure to visit the Salesforce booth at MedtecLIVE 2026. Visitors can look forward to hands-on demos, sessions, and live builds with Agentforce—including valuable insights for their own digital strategy.
